Diplomatic Relations
by Stormedge
Summary: Tsukune Aono, wizard extraordinaire, has a mission: Attempt to prove that peace between the hostile Youkai and magic communities is possible. The only way to achieve this? Attend a boarding school for monsters.
1. Prologue: Welcome to Youkai Academy

Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario+Vampire. That's pretty much a given.

A/N This is the first chapter of what it to be a ongoing story. To summarise. Humans that can manipulate magic exist, and Tsukune happens to be one them. After breezing through the first challenges the Academy throws at him, the difficulty level ramps up. It's only fair after all.

Diplomatic Relations

First Meeting

It was the office of a man who's work was his life. The walls were bare, except for overhanging lamps. The floor was carpeted and fastidiously tidy, no wrappers or loose papers to be found. There was a cup of tea, but in defiance of the laws of narrative causality, which insist that that the seriousness of a man's life be directly proportional to the stupidity of his teacup, the mug was plain, grey china.

The only grudging concession made to the fact that the man who lived in this office actually had a life outside of work was a small picture frame on the desk. In it, A small, dark-haired child lies across the laps of two people who are presumably his parents. The woman wears a radiant smile, the sun behind her head creating a nimbus of light around her. The man wears a pained grimace that suggests he has either recently been sucker punched off camera, or, is attempting to force something that vaguely resembles a smile.

That man is currently sitting behind the desk is not looking at the picture frame. He is in fact, looking at a paper that suggests, in the kindest words possible, that he should kill himself as soon as convenient so that someone more competent could take his job. Someone like the writer of the letter for instance.

Koji Aono sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. The letter was the fifth of it's kind that he had received today and frankly, he was getting sick of them. It wasn't that he was unaware that his decision would be controversial, it was just that he'd underestimated the sheer spite some of the members of his organisation were capable of producing.

There is a knock on the door before it opens and a young man enters. Koji looked up.

"Further communications from the Alsbran family, sir" the man said, proffering the papers in his hand.

"Truly?" Koji shook his head in exasperation. "No doubt they realised they could only fit so much venom onto a single page and rushed to correct their mistake."

He gave the new sheet a glance. It was enough.

"Ah yes, more thinly veiled threats and slights, interspersed with outlandish demands. What wonderful reading material I have to look forward to." He turned over the page. "Thank you, Thomas. Is there anything else?"

The man hesitated, before standing a little straighter. "I do have a question, sir."

Koji put the paper down, leaning back in his chair.

"You, and seemingly everyone else in the League," Koji replied. "But since you are here, you may ask yours."

Thomas hesitated again, then spoke.

"Do you really intend to enter diplomatic relations with the Youkai?" The question came out all at once.

Koji nodded.

"Why?" Thomas said, incredulity staining his voice "Leaving the Hunter's Association was one thing, but active diplomacy? A treaty? Sending one of our own to their… school?"

"There are a thousand years of conflict between Youkai and the Mage's League, Thomas." Koji replied while standing up from his chair. He turned, looking out of the window at the urban sprawl below. "I merely wish to ensure that we do not have a further thousand on top of that."

"But… to send your own son…" He cut her reply off in mid-sentence.

It was difficult to tell, but the outline of his shoulders in the light coming through the window looked a little tenser.

"Tsukune agreed to do this," He responded. "I would not have forced him. He recognised the need for it to be shown that I was putting a personal stake in this matter. He is my son, my heir and a brilliant wizard in his own right. For him to join Youkai academy is a gesture of reconciliation that few will be able to ignore."

He returned to his seat, once again taking up the pile of papers. "The old families may complain and threaten, but they do that no matter what I do. This way, at least, I am doing something that may have a positive effect."

He spared him one last glance. "Is there anything else?"

Thomas shook his head and exited the room. Koji Aono, he decided as he returned to his office, was far too intimidating. His presence, his reputation, his stony manner. It all added up to create an imposing picture. He was respected, if not liked, by most of the League. Even the sorcerers, the old guard that he'd thrown from their positions of ancestral power had a grudging respect for him, even as they spat at the sound of his name.

But still, to extend a hand of friendship to Youkai was proving hard to sell to the League as a whole. Almost all of them had lost a relative to a Youkai at some point, and persuading a Mage to put a grudge to rest was like squeezing blood from the proverbial stone. When he had informed the council that they were sending a young mage to Youkai academy as 'proof that coexistence is possible', the League had very nearly split. The fact that it was his own son had mitigated their reaction somewhat, but had caused others to raise a new litany of complaints.

His thoughts turned to Tsukune Aono. He was young, barely sixteen years of age. Unlike his father, the younger Aono was relaxed and affable, as likely to be chatting amiably with his friends as studying a spell book in a quiet corner.

He was more like his mother, in fact. Kasumi Aono was by far the more gentle of the two, not that this would have been hard. She wondered how she had reacted to the news that her son was being sent to a boarding school for monsters.

The appearance of the woman herself drew Thomas from his reverie.

"Ah, Thomas. Is Koji still in his office?" Kasumi inquired.

"He is, Lady Aono, but he is rather busy at the moment," Thomas responded. The appearance of Kasumi Aono at the office was not an unknown one, but it was unusual. Her familiar was perched on her shoulder, and the hen sparrow gave him a long, measured look as he continued. "We have received several missives from some of the council that need to be addressed."

"Oh dear," Kasumi laid her face in her palm. "How bad were they?"

Thomas hesitated. It was not is place to talk about messages sent directly to the Chairman, but this was a request from said chairman's wife. Eventually, he decided on honesty.

"They could have been better, Lady Aono." He replied.

Kasumi sighed.

"I'd best go and cheer him up." She walked past his desk, passing through the doors he had just come through.

She walked along the bare passages until she reached the single door. Koji looked up as she entered.

"Kasumi?" he asked, confused. "Why are you here?"

She smiled, raising an eyebrow playfully. "You don't want your wife to say hello?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm just wondering if there was a particular reason for your being here." he replied.

Kasumi walked behind the desk and took a gentle hold of his shoulders. "I came to cheer you up. You've had a long day."

"The messages are as expected. I deal with it every day." Koji responded, shaking his head.

"Not what I meant," She responded, stroking his hair softly. She almost wanted to give a rap on the head. Koji was always an idiot when it came to displaying emotions and feelings beyond stony impassiveness. "It's okay to be worried about him."

There was no reply, which was more telling than anything he could have said.

"But remember, Tsukune's _our_ son," she continued. "He'll be fine. He's can deal with school of Youkai. Knowing his father, It wouldn't surprise me if he's running the place before three years are over." She teased, poking his cheek playfully.

Koji gave a genuine smile as he visible relaxed. "I suppose you're right."

"I'm always right. It's part of being a wife." Kasumi responded, rubbing Koji's shoulders in a display of affection that would have horribly embarrassed their son had he seen it.

* * *

It was a pleasant place by most standards. A small glade surrounded by forest, the sun shining down from blue skies, a pleasant breeze that refreshed rather than chilled. In the centre, lying on the grass, a young man sleeps.

Tsukune Aono, is to all appearances, a normal human. Dark hair, dark eyes and light skin. He is dressed in the school uniform, supplied to him before the bus journey. Next to him is a small rucksack.

A slight wind nudged a strand of hair, causing it fall across his eyes. He stirred, reaching up a hand to absentmindedly brush the offending hair away. His eyes opened, blinking at the bright sunshine.

Tsukune Aono sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he took in the scene surrounding him. This, he decided, had been worth it. The bus journey had taken a good four hours, and frankly, some fresh air and a nap had been a welcome change. Slowly, he pulled himself to his feet and stretched, wincing at the stiffness in his muscles. Judging by the pins and needles in his left arm, he'd been sleeping on it.

A low hiss distracted him from his thoughts and drew his attention the second inhabitant of the glade.

"Move. You're in my sunlight."

Tsukune grinned, and looked down at the source. The small, winged lizard was resting on flat rock next to him, it's scales glinting dully in the light.

"Much as I'd like to leave you to bask," He looked at his watch, confirming a growing suspicion "I think we're going to miss the homeroom if we hang around for any longer."

The familiar raised it's head, giving him a flat stare.

"Very well." He sighed, with the air of a long suffering but devoted friend. A short hop and a flap of his wings later, the small lizard was perched on his shoulder. Tsukune gave it a look.

"You can't even be bothered to fly? Really?" He asked, picking up his bag and beginning to walk towards the forests edge at a fair pace. "That's pretty lazy, even for you, Torian."

"I am merely conserving my energy for later, when you will no doubt find some way to drag us into yet another absurd situation," Torian raised an eyebrow, a feat made remarkable by the fact he was a reptile and thus lacking those "Like Russia? Remember that?"

"Oh come on. That wasn't my fault! They attacked me!" Tsukune said, in the voice of one who had defended this point a dozen times over.

"Yes, they did. But was dropping a car on them really an appropriate response?"

"They refused to meet with me! I had to get their attention _somehow_."

"A Volkswagen Beetle probably wasn't the best way to do so, however." The bickering between them was friendly, a relaxed background noise as he walked towards the academy.

He was halfway to the gates when he felt Torian tense on his shoulder.

"Something wrong?" He asked, turning his head slightly to get his familiar in view.

Torian craned his neck, cocking his head slightly. "I'm… not sure. Do you hear that?"

Tsukune stopped. The only obvious sound was the wind rustling through the trees. The area seemed tranquil enough. A long path leading up to the gates of the academy, flanked on either side by cliffs.

"I can't hear anything odd…" he replied. In response, the lizard stretched his neck further, as if that would bring the sound into clearer focus.

"It… sounds like-"

"-!"

Tsukune head whipped to the side as a bicycle came careening over the side of the cliff. Directly towards him. A girl was perched atop it, eyes closed as she flew towards him, shouting all the while.

_Ok_, his mind asked him calmly. _What do we do in this situation?_

_Well_, he replied, _the most logical step would be to cast a feather fall spell, step neatly aside and then accept the fawning compliments of the lady I just saved._

_An excellent suggestion_, his mind responded, but with two flaws._ Number one; At this distance a feather fall spell would not take affect quickly enough to prevent a bike to the face and number two; Even if it_

_did, you didn't prepare feather fall today. Instead you opted for a spell of self-flight, citing increased versatility and rule of cool as making a feather fall spell redundant. Taking this into account, the best possible course of action is?_

_Cast a stoneskin spell, thus shielding myself from harm? _He suggested.

_An option but regrettably, one that suffers from similar flaws to the first. That is, before you could actually cast the spell you would have made painful contact with a bicycle. _Was it just his imagination, or was the anthropomorphic representation of his thoughts taking a certain pleasure in this?

_Throw myself aside, thus averting any damage to myself and hopefully allowing her to retain control of the bike? _

_Not enough time at this point_. The response from his mind was short, immediate and to the point.

Tsukune gave a long, long mental sigh. He'd suspected it would come to this from the moment he'd began this mental conversation, but he'd desperately tried to find another course of action.

_At least you had time to think it over_, his mind consoled,_ we've had quite a good chat in such a short period of time. Most people would not even have been able to come up with one idea before being hit. You were able to rapidly develop three seemingly viable ones! And then rationalise why they wouldn't work!_

_That's… not really that comforting_, he responded, steeling himself. _I suppose then, given the circumstances, that my final course of action is to simply prepare myself and to attempt to cover my most fragile and vulnerable areas, hoping like fuck this doesn't hurt too much._

His mind gave him a mental thumbs up, moments before the bike rammed into him.

* * *

Tsukune groaned as he dragged himself up from the ground.

"You okay?" Torian asked while drifting to the ground.

Tsukune gave himself a once over. The bicycle had hit his right shoulder, but he could still move him arm with only a modicum of pain, so it probably wasn't dislocated. He pulled back his shirt to exam it. There was a laceration, there but the blood was already beginning to clot. The blood had already discoloured the shirt though. He scowled and adjusted his coat to cover the stain. There was a line of pain stretching from shoulder to hip, so he'd have a lovely bruise stretching across his torso, but again, nothing seemed too bad.

"Yeah, seems I got off lucky. Or, you know, as lucky as I can be after being hit by a bike. You manage to jump off in time?" He inquired, turning to inspect the bike's driver.

Torian gave a nod that Tsukune didn't see, given that his attention was absorbed with the fallen girl.

He reached out, giving her a light pat on the head.

"Are you alright?" He asked, beginning to feel some concern. The girl gave a slight groan in response, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked a few times, then her eyes shot wide open as the girl shot up.

"I am so sorry!" She bowed in apology. "I… I lost control of the bike and, and then I was heading towards a cliff… and…" She bowed again "I'm very sorry!"

Tsukune suppressed a smile. She was pretty cute when she was flustered. In fact, now that he could actually look ate her, she was quite beautiful. Long pink hair, green eyes, and a slender, toned body. He realised where his thoughts had been heading and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. I'm fine," He replied. "What about you? You took a bit of a fall."

The girl shook her head at his concern.

"I'm fine. I only fell off the bike once it hit you… I mean, it's not your fault though! It's my fault! I'm… really sorry!"

"It's really not a problem. You didn't do it on purpose, so I won't hold it against you," He was really feeling embarrassed now. To distract himself he stuck out a hand. "Tsukune Aono, pleasure to meet you."

She smiled and took his hand.

"Moka Akashiya. It's a pleasure to meet you too." Their eyes met, and Moka blushed.

"Much as I hate to break up the moment, we still have a homeroom to get to, do we not?" Torian's voice was dry as he spoke up.

"Ah. Yeah, you're right," Tsukune admitted, releasing Moka's hand. "You're flying now though. I've only got one undamaged shoulder left and I'm rather fond of it."

Torian rolled his eyes. "Very well. I'll consider it effort well spent if we actually arrive on time."

Tsukune turned back to Moka, only to see her giving him a strange look.

"…Who are you talking to?" Moka inquired.

Tsukune frowned. Why was she asking that? He was just answering- Oh. Right. Awkward.

"Ah, I should introduce you. This is Torian" He gestured towards the lizard, who nodded his head in greeting.

Moka looked down, finally noticing the small creature. She smiled as she bent down.

"Awww! He's adorable!" She reached out a hand towards him. " Who's a good boy? Hmmm? Who's a good lizard?"

Torian froze. A low hiss escaped through clenched teeth.

"Tsukune, please explain to her why baby-talking me is a bad idea."

"Aaah… Moka?" Tsukune called out. "Torian… _really_ doesn't like being treated like that." The mental link he shared with Torian granted several abilities, one of which allowed them to understand each other perfectly. Speech, laughter, even body language was translated into an understandable form. Others, however, didn't share this benefit. This could lead to uncomfortable situations when in the company of those unaware of the bond between familiar and wizard. An uncomfortable situation much like the one occurring now, actually.

"Oh," Moka said abashedly, straightening up. "He doesn't like being touched?"

"He doesn't really mind it," Tsukune responded. "He just hates being treated like he's some kind of idiot."

Moka looked at him. "You talk like he told you this" She smiled, making it clear she wasn't serious.

"He did. He's my familiar, so he made his likes and dislikes plain to me from day one." Tsukune replied. Best, he thought, to tell her straight. He wasn't exactly hiding the fact that he was a mage, but he wasn't trying to flaunt it either. The relationship between Youkai and human magic users was… rocky. Which was still an improvement on the last few centuries, where it had been outright hostile.

"Familiar?" She repeated. He could see her eyes open in recognition. "That means… you're a mage?" It was phrased as a question, as if she couldn't quite believe what she'd heard. Not an incredibly positive response, but better than hate or just outright attacking him.

"Yeah." He replied. Keep it short and clean, he told himself. Let her think about this herself. No point trying to justify his presence here if she was just going to storm off.

"Then you're a human, right? What are you doing here?" Her face showed nothing but curiosity. She paused, and then shook her head. "Actually, you don't have to tell me. It's probably none of my business, right?"

"Well, yeah. I'm human but there's no big secret or anything. I'm just here to study." He said, rubbing the back of his head ruefully.

"I see," Moka said. She nodded, breaking into a smile. "In that case, let me be the first to welcome you to Youkai Academy."

She extended her hand for the second time today. A simple gesture, but meaningful.

Tsukune blinked, before a grin crossed his face and he shook her hand.

"I'm looking forward to studying with you." She said.

"Same here. Should be an interesting few years." he responded, his gaze flicking to the academy that loomed in the distance, it's very presence promising more than just _interesting._

"You know, I get the oddest feeling of déjà vu. Like I've had to break up this _exact _same moment before," Torian sighed as he floated next to them, supported by the gentle flapping of his wings. "Might I remind you about homeroom? You know, that class which you both seem to making a determined effort to avoid?"

Moka turned at the sound of the lizards hiss.

"Ah. I almost forgot to apologise to you as well," Moka said. "I'm sorry that I treated you as I did. I didn't know that you were a familiar."

Torian gave a nod.

"Tell her that her apology is accepted. Also, I feel that this bears repeating: You're going to be late to your first class at this rate."

Tsukune translated to Moka who started, as if given an electric shock.

"I completely forgot about homeroom!" She turned, picking up her fallen bag and moving towards her bike, Tsukune following behind her.

As she picked it up, he immediately saw the broken chain dangling from the vehicle. Moka picked it up morosely.

"Guess I'm walking the rest of the way then," She said, leaning the bike against the cliff. "I'll come back for it later."

"You sure about leaving it?" Tsukune asked, looking dubiously at the bike. "It could rain later. Or someone could steal it."

Moka shrugged her shoulders in resignation. She "I can't get to the academy on time dragging a bike alongside me. There's not much choice."

Tsukune inspected the bike. It was a fairly old model but well cared for, if a little battered from it's collision. He swung his back pack of his shoulder.

"If you'd like, I could keep it with me for now and give it back to you later." Tsukune said, opening the top of his bag.

Moka looked at him curiously. "How… ah," Realisation crossed her face. "If you could, that's be great."

"Alright then." Tsukune rubbed his hand together in anticipation. He opened the bag as far as possible, and looked into it. A jumble of items lay within, a few dozen books, a collection of miscellaneous enchanted items, a staff, three plastic boxes containing some food, a few bottles of water, a laptop, some computer games, a pile of clothing, some posters, a painting of a tranquil grassland scene, a Glock 17, a GPS navigation system, a censer that would, on command, summon a air elemental and a bag of crisps. Still plenty of room left for a bike.

He reached over to the bike, picking it up and placing it over the bag. Moka watched him curiously. He wasn't actually going to try fitting the bike into the bag was he?

"Now you see it…"

She blinked as he dropped the bike and the bag swallowed it up without a sound.

"Now you don't."

Tsukune grinned as he spun back to her.

"Do you really have to turn your Bag of Holding into a party trick?" Torian groaned. "I mean, it's just so childish."

"Bag of Holding, never leave home without one." Tsukune said, utterly ignoring Torian and swinging the bag back onto his shoulder.

"I can see how that would be handy," Moka replied dryly. "Will it be okay in there?"

"No reason why it shouldn't be. The magic keeps everything in there from breaking everything else."

"Thank you, Tsukune." she smiled. He scratched his cheek embarrassedly.

"It's fine. More importantly…" He checked his watch. "Yeah, we're gonna be cutting it a little fine to class at this rate."

"We'd best get moving then." Moka began walking down the path only to stop when Tsukune called out to her.

"Ah, Moka? I've got a slightly quicker way, if you're interested." Moka turned back towards him. She had to confess she _was_ interested. She'd heard of human mages before, but she'd never actually met one. Even her experiences with the arts of manipulating Youki was limited. Magic was a new and fascinating experience for her.

She nodded, moving back towards him.

"Alright, take my hand." Tsukune said

She looked at him, and he could feel a slight sense of apprehension from her as she reached out and took his hand once more. Torian hopped down onto his good shoulder and he turned to look at him.

"What did I say about my shoulder? I'm a wounded man, Torian."

The lizard shot him a withering look.

"So you want me to fly to the academy while your new girlfriend gets a lift? I wonder, if I bat my eyelids at you, will I suddenly be treated like royalty? Or do I require breasts to actually get you to shift your attention? Or perhaps-" Torian asked, once again raising his non-existent eyebrow.

"Alright, I get it," Tsukune replied, shuddering slightly. "And please never talk about you and breasts or eye-batting in the same sentence again. Ever. It's really kinda creepy."

"You think so? Back in the desert, I was rather popular among my peers. The females would practically flaunt their chests at me and bat their eyes furiously to gain my attentions. Unfortunately for them, I was too much lizard for any one female to-"

"Oh come on! That is utter bullshit on many levels! Pseudodragon females don't have breasts, they don't flaunt their chests or bat their eye's in any kind of mating ritual and you," Tsukune grinned viciously ."You're what? The pseudodragon equivalent to fourteen? Fifteen, tops. There's no way you were attracting any females of any description."

"I merely have self-control. unlike others I could mention," Torian said, a malicious expression crossing it's face. " You've been here for less than a day and you already have a young lady hanging off your arm." The lizard shook it's head in mock disappointment. "I had hoped you would show more restraint, but I suppose you never change."

Tsukune opened his mouth to reply with a scathing remark when he was cut off.

"Ummm. Tsukune?" Moka spoke quietly, as if not wanting to interrupt their heated 'discussion'.

"Ah." Tsukune looked over at Moka and saw her blushing furiously. He realized that he'd been holding her hand while talking to Torian. The blush on her face gained a mirror on his own. Physical contact was a big thing in Japan, wasn't it? Torian snickered next to his head and he fought the urge to give the familiar a rap on the head.

"Right then. Here we go." He took a breath. The energy coiled around him, waiting for the order. Just saying the words wouldn't do anything without concentration however. He focused on the desired spell. Teleportation was always tricky, demanding that the caster focus both on actualising the spell itself and the intended destination. It helped that he could actually see where he was teleporting to.

He spoke the incantation.

It was instant. There was no rush of air, no feeling of pain or disorientation. One moment they were on a rough path surrounded by cliffs, the next they were right outside the gates of the academy. Moka had closed her eyes the moment he'd spoken up and he forced himself to suppress a wry smile.

"You can open your eyes now." He said, releasing her hand and stepping back.

She opened her eyes and looked around, shock evident on her face.

"Surprisingly painless, isn't it?" he asked dryly.

"I have to admit, I was expecting… something a little flashier." She replied, still seeming to have some disbelief in the surrounding environment. "What was that?"

"Teleportation. One of the more complex of the arts, but equally, one of the most useful." Tsukune responded. He checked his watch. "And as of now, we're on time."

"Thank you for the lift." Moka said.

"Anytime." Tsukune replied, waving away the thanks.

Mokas eyed widened suddenly.

"Tsukune! Your shoulder!" she exclaimed, pointing at said extremity.

He looked down . The blood flow had stopped, but not before apparently soaking a little further. Just far enough, he noted sourly, that it was impossible to completely cover it with his coat. He should really consider preparing some more basic utility spells, he thought dryly. Like cleaning, or repair.

"Ah, don't worry about it, it's just a graze." He said, attention absorbed by the refusal of his coat to shift just slightly further to the left. When no reply was forthcoming he looked up.

Moka was breathing heavily, an unfocused look in her eyes as she stared at the patch of red on his shirt. Her gaze slowly crawled from his chest to his neck and stayed there. She drew in a deep breath and leapt forward.

Tsukune barely had time to react before she bowled him to the ground, her teeth already seeking his neck.

_Alright, an attractive young lady has just forced you to the ground_, he thought. _Regrettably, this is probably not for sexy reasons. What do you do_?

First order of the day, try to understand what the fuck was happening. What was the relevant data? Moka was a Youkai, she'd reacted to the sight of his blood and she was currently attempting to feed on said blood. Those were two corroborating facts. What Youkai had an intrinsic connection to blood? There were several were-creatures that fed on blood, but they were few and far between. Blood was a terrible source of nutrition after all. The most obvious was the vampire, who could draw energy from blood and use it to enhance their already considerable powers.

_So the working hypothesis is that Moka is a vampire? Wonderful. Now, _he thought as her teeth began to break through the skin of his neck_, what can I actually do with that information? Given that my arms are pinned and… wow, her hair smells nice. Is that apple? No, focus on getting out of this before you become a tasty snack!_

He prepared to whisper out an incantation that would teleport him out from under her, when the need to do so vanished.

"Off of my master, you blood-sucking bitch!"

Torian rammed into Moka's sidesending her rolling across the ground. She spun, landing on her back. Torian twisted in mid-air, landing in a defensive posture between Tsukune and the dazed vampire.

"Are you alright, Master?" The pseudodragon stood ramrod stiff as Moka pulled herself to her feet.

"I'm fine. You can relax, Torian." he replied, trying to step past the lizard, which shifted to block him.

"You can't be serious. She just tried to drain you!" Torian's eyes were crimson slits as he switched his gaze from the now standing vampire to his master.

"I… I wouldn't have taken enough to hurt you," Both of them looked at her. "I'm sorry. I just lost control. You smelt really good, and I've been drinking from blood packs for so long and…" She fell silent, looking down.

Tsukune rubbed the back of his head. Moka apologised far too much, it made it hard to actually gather any anger at her.

"Tell you what." He replied "Help me explore this place later and we'll call it even. Sound like a plan?"

Moka looked up. "Is that really ok?"

"Yeah, This place would be kinda dull to look around all by myself, so we'll just put this behind us." He responded. "In the meantime, let's get to class."

Torian gave Moka one last careful look before returning to his perch on Tsukune's shoulder.

Moka walked next to Tsukune as he moved to the doors of Youkai Academy. He pushed them open and entered. They made their way through the corridors, following the maps interspersed throughout the school until they came to Room 163.

Tsukune opened the door and stepped through. The class's attention focused on him for a moment, a few students breaking off from their conversations momentarily to look at the new arrival. Then Moka stepped into the room.

Conversation stopped, several boys actually dropping whatever they were holding. Moka seemed almost oblivious to the stares of the class as she walked over to the nearest empty seat. She turned and gestured at the seat next to it.

"Tsukune, aren't you going to sit down?"

Instantly, he could feel the glares on his skin. He sighed. Today, he could tell as he moved to take the seat, was only going to get more… interesting.

_Well, _he thought as Moka gave him a beaming smile as he sat down next to her_, at least I made a friend. _

He settled down and waited for the teacher.

-End Prologue-

To be continued.

A/N Well, that all for now. I expect to have to the next chapter up within a week. Reviews are welcome.

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	2. Chapter 1: Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario+Vampire. You know it, I know it.

A/N: A few people have expressed concerns that Tsukune may become a Gary Stu, so I'm going to try to allay those concerns. Tsukune is going to curb stomp the first few challenges the academy throws at him. It's kinda inevitable. In canon, he only fought (Or rather, Moka only fought) Youkai that were either fairly weak, or were one trick ponies to begin with. As he now uses magic, that kind of opponent isn't really going to be that much of a threat. To counteract this, the plot's gonna speed up a fair bit. I won't spoil it for you, but be assured, Tsukune's going to be challenged, he's not going to effortlessly destroy all enemies. Anyway, enjoy the latest chapter of Diplomatic Relations.

* * *

Diplomatic Relations

Confrontation

Tsukune sighed as he settled down onto his bed. After homeroom had finished Moka had dragged him around the entire school, seemingly intent on exploring every nook and cranny. He suspected that it was partly guilt over her earlier loss of control that had made her so… eager, but he'd enjoyed her company regardless. He'd just made sure to keep his wound well covered.

Torian was sleeping on the end of the bed, his chest heaving gently from his breath. The pseudodragon had watched Moka carefully for the entire day, as if suspecting she'd suddenly leap at Tsukune with fangs bared. He'd let up once it became clear that Moka was more interested in looking around the school than draining his master dry behind his back and instead returned to his normal duties, that is, giving a running commentary.

He'd noticed an oddity throughout the day as well. For one thing, his homeroom teacher, Shizuke Nekonome, hadn't given any reaction when she'd called out his name on the register. That suggested that she was ignorant of what he was. From the reaction of the rest of the class, or rather lack of reaction, he had to assume that his presence here was being kept secret. Or at least not having any attention drawn to it. He wondered if he should talk to the Chairman about that. Well, he'd have that opportunity soon at any rate.

His eyes drifted to the opened letter lying on the desk. He hadn't been overly surprised to receive it, but he'd hoped for a little time to get settled before being called to speak to the Chairman. It was barely even a letter, being nothing more than a short note saying 'We must talk. Seven' o'clock.' and a rough map showing how to get to the office from the dorms. The embossed seal on the envelope gave no doubt who the sender was though. There weren't many Youkai who'd be stupid enough to use the personal sign of one of the three Dark Lords without their express permission. That only gave him- he checked his watch- an hour before he would have to head off. He sighed once more. Best to use the time constructively then.

Forcing himself from the oh-so-tempting comforts of his bed, he stood and walked over to the bag lodged in the corner. He opened it and rummaged through it briefly, before pulling out a large roll of paper and a book.

Standing, he placed the book on top of the desk, then unrolled the paper across the floor. A circle of black ink large enough to sit within was drawn on it, arcane symbols feeding off from the main design and creating twisting patterns.

Tsukune picked up the book on his bed and took his place in the circle, sitting cross-legged as he opened his spellbook. He flicked through the pages, thinking about what magic he might require.

_Well_, his mind suggested, _we've learnt today that crazy shit can happen really easily in this place. So doesn't it stand to reason that more defensive spells than usual might be practical? You know, so we don't repeat that whole bike-to-the-face thing? It was funny the first time round, but it get's old pretty fast._

_Are you still on about that?, _he replied wearily, _there's no possible way I could have expected that a vampire would have come barrelling over a cliff towards me. That's a pretty rare occurrence. Or at least I hope it is. It would really suck if it became a daily thing._

_And that said vampire later attacking you? Could you have expected that either?, _his mind responded instantly_, We need to face facts here. We have no idea what we could get involved in every day in this place. We might have a quiet school life, or we might end up engaged in a life-or-death duel over who's first in the lunch line. We just don't know._

…_That's a point, _he admitted_, guess I'm going to have a slightly more diverse set of spells than normal then._

He closed the spellbook and placed it outside the circle. First things first. His eyes closed and he focused, feeling the spells already bound to him. Carefully, he released the unwanted ones, allowing the magic to flow back to it's source. It took only a few seconds to release over a dozen spells. Now came the slightly more tedious part.

The ritual circle that he sat in was a necessary part of magic for wizards. Unlike sorcerer's, alchemists, onmyodo's or virtually every other kind of magic user, wizards were not born with any intrinsic ability to manipulate raw magical or spiritual energies. Already created spells could be released at any point, but to collect the energy to form a new one was impossible for an unaided wizard. The circle helped to mitigate this, allowing a wizard to gather the energy and through focus and lengthy incantations, bind it into spells that could be later used at will. There was still a limit to both the number and the level of spells a wizard could bind though, based on their experience, talent and intelligence.

He spoke the words under his breath, flowing seamlessly from one spell to another with the ease of long practice. The time taken for each individual spell varied, with some taking little more than ten seconds to form, and a few others requiring nearly a full minute. The energy built up around him.

Tsukune stood up around fifteen minutes later and stretched his muscles. He rolled up the circle and returned both it and spellbook to the bag, before looking around the room. He still had forty five minutes to kill before the meeting with the Chairman. The bed still looked tempting, but the possibility of simply falling asleep and missing the meeting was far too likely. His gaze flicked to the window. It was still light outside and he had a vague idea of where everything was from his earlier exploration. A walk sounded like a pretty good idea, if only to get some fresh air.

The door of his room opened silently, and he closed it quietly behind him. There was no need to wake Torian up, he thought., he could just pick him up before heading to the meeting. The sound of his footfalls echoed throughout the building as he walked down the stairs of the dormitory and pushed open the doors to the grounds.

There was a sharp, cold wind blowing, a sharp contrast to the pleasant breeze earlier in the day. For a moment, he hesitated. He'd left his coat back in his room, and didn't overly feel like heading back. Well, there were ways around that. His hands moved and he recited an invocation. A warmth suffused him, negating the wind with ease.

The academy was designed oddly, he noted, walking through the small collection of trees near the dorms. The entire thing seemed to have been built to look as intimidating as possible, with dead trees, gargoyles and gravestones interspersed across the entire grounds. He wondered idly if it was some kind of ascetic that monsters enjoyed. Maybe he'd ask Moka tomorrow.

His thoughts strayed to the pink-haired vampire. Truth be told, she wasn't what he'd expected from a monster, particularly one as infamous as a vampire. From what he'd read, vampires were considered as being among the most dangerous Youkai, nearly unstoppable warriors capable of slaughtering small armies single-handedly. Even mages preferred to avoid them if possible. Moka was… well, she seemed kind of clumsy for one thing. There was none of the raw power emanating from her that the books had suggested was typical of vampires. Yet another thing to ponder, he supposed.

"Oi!" A voice called out to him, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned.

The man approaching him was fairly tall, blonde hair pulled back over his head and a few piercing stuck into his ears and lip. Tsukune blinked, he'd seen this guy in his homeroom hadn't he? And a couple of times throughout the day as well, now that he thought about it.

"You're Tsukune Aono, right?" The blonde haired man said, sneering at him.

"Yeah, that's me." He replied casually, digging his hands into his pockets.

"Right then," The man's hand picked up Tsukune by the scruff of his shirt, seemingly without effort. "I'm Saizou Komiya. I'm just here to make one thing clear."

He brought his head down next to Tsukune's, who wrinkled his nose at the smell of his breath. Didn't he ever brush his teeth? Seriously, even if he was one of those Youkai who could barely walk down a road without trying to ram a humans head into his mouth, was it that hard to buy some toothpaste?

"Stay away from Moka Akashiya. You got that?" He snarled, baring his teeth. Tsukune blinked in response.

_Is this guy trying to intimidate me? We're at a school for Youkai that allows you to hide your identity! He has no idea what I am and he's trying to intimidate me? This… this has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever seen._

He shook away the temptation to hit him with a lightning bolt. As much as he'd probably be doing the Youkai genetic pool a favour, he didn't think blowing a student to kibble-sized chunks would be a good start to what was essentially a diplomatic mission.

Saizou glared at him for a moment longer, then threw him backwards. Tsukune rolled as he hit the ground, negating most of the force. A throbbing in his shoulder told him that he'd probably re-opened the earlier wound however. He looked up to see Saizou marching away.

He brushed himself off as he stood up and checked out his shoulder. Much to his relief, the scab on the graze was still fine. He'd have hated having yet another clean shirt covered in blood, he hadn't brought that many with him after all.

_Still, what to do_? He had no intention of simply obeying that kind of command, but Saizou didn't look like the kind of person who'd take to someone completely ignoring him well. He wasn't going to leave Moka to the tender mercies of a guy like that though. _It'd be so much easier if I could just blow him into giblets._

"Ah well," He shrugged. "It'll all work out in the end."

* * *

The office was incredibly dark. Unlike his father's, which was plain and functional, the Chairman's office was very much in keeping with the tone of the rest of the academy. Dark, gothic and seemingly taken straight from a Hammer horror film. Two small windows at the back were the only source of light, apart from a few small candles on the side desks.

Tsukune stood in the centre of the room, facing the owner of the office, Torian on his regular place on Tsukune's shoulder. The Chairman was dressed utterly in white, a slight glow exuding from his eyes hidden under the hood of his robes.

"You know why you are here?" The Chairman asked, his voice breaking the silence.

Tsukune nodded in response.

"Good. Then allow me to make a few things clear to you, though I suspect you already know this," The chairman leaned forward in his seat, steepling his fingers. "You are being watched."

Tsukune nodded again. He knew exactly what the chairman meant.

"The eyes of both the Mage's League and the Youkai world are upon you. Powerful figures move in the shadows now, waiting to see how this experiment proceeds." The chairman said. "I would see it succeed. I would see coexistence between mage's and Youkai. You are the means to that."

Tsukune said nothing. Did the chairman really think that he didn't know this? He'd received almost the exact same speech from his father. Still, he thought, this was obviously little more than a courtesy. The Chairman was just ensuring that Tsukune knew that his presence had been noted.

"Having said that, you are still a student of this academy. You are to be extended no special privileges and no exceptions are to be made in your case. If you break the rules, you shall be punished. The same as any other pupil. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." Tsukune replied. The reasons behind this were obvious. Look, it said, I'm just like one of you, studying with your children, being punished with your children, see how we all get along so well? Aren't we all just good friends at heart? Let's just forget about the massacres, genocides, slaughters, battles and brutal wars we've visited on each other in the past.

The chairman was still for a moment, and then nodded. "Very well. Do you have any questions?"

"Actually I do," Tsukune said, relaxing his posture somewhat. "No-one seems to know who I am. Is there a specific reason to this that I should be aware of? Has it been decided to keep my presence a secret from those within the school?"

The chairman shook his head. "It was judged that simply telling others of your identity would create a bias against you. Thus the decision of who to inform is left to you. Apart from myself, no-one in this academy is aware of your nature." he responded, then hesitated. "Not yet at least."

Tsukune's thoughts turned to Moka, who was most definitely aware of the fact that he was a wizard. Still, he could definitely trust her, so there wasn't really any issue there. _Hold on a second, 'not yet'?_

"Not yet? That rather firmly implies that that won't be the situation for much longer." he said, meeting the eyes, or at least the glow he presumed was the eyes, of the Chairman.

"As I said. You are being watched. Not all of those eyes are benevolent. Some seek to see you fail. Some wish to restart a futile war. Others will merely wish their children to be aware of your presence, for their own protection," The Chairman gave a long sigh. "I will attempt to block them for as long as possible but, inevitably, someone will slip a message through the net. When that happens, I suspect the entire school will know in short order. It would be advisable to have several friends or allies before that happens."

"Wonderful," Torian said dryly. "Our school life would not be complete without a race against time. 'Build five social links before the new moon, or non-standard game over'. It's like we've walked into a fucking Persona game."

"And how long do you think it will be until this becomes common knowledge?" he asked, ignoring the dragon complaining on his shoulder.

"I would say that I can prevent any message of that kind reaching this place for at least two months. Being in a boarding school surrounded by a barrier that I control gives me certain advantages." The Chairman responded, a wide smile visible from within the darkness of his hood. "After that, relatives will begin clamouring to visit too loudly to ignore. Once I allow even a few through the barrier, security is compromised."

"I see." Tsukune closed his eyes. So in two months, the entire school could be aware of him? He doubted that most of them would have the same enlightened reaction as Moka, even if the Chairman did vouch for him. He let out a sigh of his own. Well, It'd be interesting at least. "Is that everything?"

The Chairman nodded and Tsukune left the room without another word.

* * *

Tsukune sat at his desk idly, staring up at the roof. The rest of the class were working on a series of math problems, but he'd completed those three quarters of an hour ago. It turned out that the coursework for the Academy was at a considerably lower level than the average human high school. Tsukune had been breezing through average human high school coursework at age eleven.

He eyes drifted over the classroom, coming to rest on Moka. She had finished a short while back and was now gazing out the window at the blue sky. The sun caught her hair, causing it to shimmer. Almost as if she'd sensed his gaze, she turned and, catching his eyes, gave him a wide smile. A small smile crossed his own face and he gave her a nod before continuing to look around the class.

Saizou Komiya appeared to have simply decided not to actually do the work, and was alternating between leering at Moka and glaring at everyone else. He vaguely wondered how the Youkai hadn't been shot down by police during his brief stint in the human world. From the rumours he'd heard, the idiot had spent most his time molesting girls and trying to eat humans, before he'd been dragged off to the Academy.

His thoughts were broken by the bell ringing, signalling the beginning of lunch. The class moved quickly, throwing their seats back and launching themselves through the door to the cafeteria. Tsukune sighed. His earlier thought about a life-or-death duel over position in the lunch queue hadn't been far from the truth. Every lunch was a battle it seemed, every place in the line earned through blood and sweat and tears, all hands seeking the holy grail of meat bread, all desperately trying to avoid the perils of Chef's surprise.

"So, where do you want to eat lunch, Tsukune?" Moka's asked, moving next to his desk.

"Well, the weathers pretty good. How about the courtyard?" he replied, standing up.

"Sounds great." She gave him the open smile he'd begun to associate with her and moved towards the exit.

"Ah, wait Moka," He said holding out a hand to stop her. "I'll get lunch and meet you out there."

She cocked her head curiously.

"Is that OK? There's probably a really bad line by now."

"That's fine," Tsukune grinned "I've got an edge. Right, Torian?"

The pseudodragon gave him a look. "Again? Truly? I was hoping that my talents might be put to a better use than fetching sandwiches."

"Ah, that's a point," Tsukune said, looking thoughtful while completely ignoring the lizard. "What kind do you want? Egg? Coronation chicken? Ham salad?"

"I'll have a ham salad, if there's any left. If not, anything will do." Moka replied.

"All right, I'll meet you there then." They exited the classroom and headed off in different directions, Moka heading down the stairs, while Tsukune walked along the corridor to the lunch hall. As he neared, he could hear the sounds of battle emerging from the hall. He stopped by the doors, braced himself and then swung them open.

It was worse than he could have imagined. The karate club had apparently tried to force their way to the meat bread, causing both the football and hockey clubs to form an unlikely alliance. The acupuncture club and the photography club had apparently united in face of this new threat, and turned their efforts against the newfound Sports Alliance. A mass of independents milled around, caught in the crossfire of the warring clubs. There were a few first years scattered about, but without the support from club mates the older student's had, they were getting nowhere.

"Torian," he said, quietly. "If you don't return, know that I'll always remember you. You were a good friend."

The dragon gave a toothy smile. "Don't write me off that easily. I'll show them the power of my determination."

"Yeah, that's right. You're the kind of dragon that wouldn't die even if he was killed, right?" Tsukune replied.

"Damn straight!" Torian roared.

"Just remember, Torian," Tsukune closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Ham salad and ham and mustard. Never forget. "

"Heh." The dragon responded, getting its body into a launching stance. A moment passed and then Torian leapt from his shoulder.

He skimmed over the top of the crowd, hands reaching up to drag him down. A member of the karate club leapt up to grab him, but a rapid swerve took Torian round him. A hail of needles from the acupuncture club flew at him and the dragon rolled in mid-air, needles skimming off his scales.

He banked upwards, wings desperately flapping to gain height. He saw his prey, lying on the countertop and swept down. A boy was charging through the crowd, sweeping aside those who attempted to block him with a berserk strength as he strained to reach the sandwiches. Torian accelerated, time seeming to slow to a halt as the two competed for the grandest of prizes. Torian's rear paws picked up a sandwich each, claws digging into the packets as he swept back up, a scream of frustration echoing from below as a boy reached up desperately at the now distant packets.

He flew at roof level, until he was almost at his master, where he drifted back down. Tsukune took the sandwiches from him as Torian landed on his shoulder.

"I told you I'd be back." The pseudodragon remarked.

"Good work." Tsukune said, patting the dragon on the head. He looked at the conflict still raging in front of him. The karate club had forced the football club into a tactical retreat, but were now being pressed hard by the hockey club, who were attempting to take revenge for their fallen comrades. It seemed the battle was only was only just beginning. He shrugged. He had lunch and Moka was waiting, this war was none of his business any longer. He turned his back on the carnage and left.

* * *

Moka sat on the bench, her legs together as she waited. She hoped that Tsukune would come soon, she was getting a little hungry. And… well.. She felt a little lonely sitting on the bench.

_That's pathetic_, Inner Moka said. _You're a Vampire, one the strongest and proudest beings in existence, and you're getting weepy because you were separated from_ _a human for a few minutes_.

"I'm not getting weepy!" Moka retorted quietly under her breath. "I just feel a little… alone, you know? Like I was back at middle school."

Inner Moka was silent. Their earlier school days had not been pleasant. Humans, if not overly bright, still retained the instincts of their monkey relatives. Moka had been too… different. Too perfect. The same senses that felt the gaze of a tiger on the back had warned them off of her. They'd never quite bullied her, but in every school they'd kept their distance.

When they'd transferred to Youkai academy, Inner Moka had hoped that Outer Moka would make the friends she so craved, not because she herself desired such things as 'friends', but merely so her softer half would have someone to protect her. Then they'd met Tsukune, in circumstances that Inner Moka would not have thought beneficial for acquiring friends.

He was affable, Inner Moka had to admit, putting up with her Outer half's incessant chatter and action with good grace and seemingly enjoying her company. He was even helpful, to an extent, what with that bag and his Teleporting trick. But he was also a mage. That made him one of the few beings that could potentially prove a danger to a vampire. A certain degree of caution was warranted, at least until they knew more about him. Outer Moka seemed determined to ignore this advice however, and continued to be as obliviously happy as usual. Her naiveté was almost charming. Almost.

_Regardless_, she said, giving the mental equivalent of a shrug, _I do not think a five minute wait will_-

"Looks like you lost the runt," A snide voice cut off Inner Moka's sentence. Moka looked up. Saizou Komiya leered at her, leaning in to her face. "That's good. You deserve someone better than him."

Moka gave a start and slid away from him, getting off the bench as she did so.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Saizou said, matching her pace as she backed away. "I just want to have a little chat with you."

Moka looked around, the courtyard was utterly empty. It had seemed like a quiet place to relax with Tsukune. Now it seemed terribly threatening. She turned, facing Saizou.

"Tsukune will be back in a minute." She said, standing as tall she could. Saizou still dwarfed her.

"So?" He replied, giving a wide, toothy grin. "What's he gonna do? He's a pretty crappy monster, far as I can tell. He even smells human."

He reached out a hand and Moka backed away furiously. Inner Moka seethed within her prison. If she was released, even for a few seconds, she could teach this ignorant mongrel his place. But with the seal in place…

Saizou lunged forward, grabbing her shoulder in a painful grip. He pulled her struggling form closer to him and gave a sneer.

"C'mon babe, let's go somewhere quiet. Somewhere we can be alone." He marched off, dragging her behind him with one hand, another clamped over mouth.

* * *

Tsukune blinked as he entered the courtyard where'd he agreed to meet Moka. It was empty, and completely still.

_This is… odd_, he thought_, I definitely agreed to meet her here_. _And there's no way I made it to the lunch hall and got here faster than she did._

He hesitated. There were plenty of reasonable things that could have happened. Moka could have been called by a teacher, or perhaps doubled back to meet him in the cafeteria and they'd simply missed each other. But another, darker possibility sprang to mind.

'Stay away from Moka Akashiya." That's what Saizou had said. Saizou, the monster that had a reputation as a rapist. Saizou, the monster that did what he wanted, regardless of it's effect on others.

Tsukune's hand were already forming the patterns of a spell of scrying.

"Grant me the sight of leagues. Show me Moka Akashiya." He intoned.

The air in front of him distorted and became a window, showing him a scene from another place. In it, a tall, burly blonde threw a beautiful, pink haired girl against a tombstone. She groaned and attempted to pull herself back to her feet. The man laughed. Tsukune felt his face go still. On his shoulder, Torian gave a low, angry hiss.

Tsukune began casting.

* * *

Saizou grinned viciously as he approached the girl. She had propped herself up against the tombstone, but the impact had obviously shaken her. She was effectively helpless.

"Ah, I just can't stop it." He was practically panting as his form shifted, grotesquely huge muscles tearing his shirt apart. He reached out with a claw, smirking as she attempted to move away from him. She couldn't escape. No one could hear her. No one would come for-

"That's as far as you go."

He spun, eyes widening. Tsukune Aono stood barely twenty feet away.

"You miserable piece of shit! How'd you get here!" He snarled, stalking towards Tsukune.

"Magic." Tsukune replied.

The monstrel roared, leaping towards the man.

"Release Contingency."

Tsukune's skin hardened instantly, a layer of flexible rock forming over his entire body. The hybrid ayashi's claws slashed down, rebounding harmlessly off the stone armour. A gesture and a blast of wind swept out of his hand, catching the Youkai in his chest. Saizou grunted as he was picked up by the violent winds and thrown bodily into a tree.

Another gesture and a whispered word, five orbs shot out from his hand and unerringly slammed into the ayashi. Saizou's flesh burnt and his bones cracked, a groan of pain escaping from his lips.

Tsukune walked by the monstrel, paying him no heed. He knelt down by Moka.

"Are you alright?" He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. Moka's hand grasped it tightly, as if fearing he'd disappear if she let go.

Her face was white, and she looked ready to cry, but she nodded in response. Tsukune hesitated. The next question was going to be difficult, but it had to be asked.

"Did he… do anything?" Moka shook her head furiously in response. Tsukune sighed in relief. If he'd gotten here even a moment too late…

"Y-You… Fucker!" Saizou howled, attempting to drag himself to his feet, using the tree as a grip. His skin had been torn away where he'd been struck by the sheer friction that the Arcane Projectiles exerted, and he had at least three broken bones. "You're a fucking magic user!"

Tsukune turned, pulling his hand free of Moka. He faced the ayashi.

"Be still."

The Youkai froze completely. His arms and legs ceased shaking, his eyes were locked in their hate filled glare. Tsukune approached him. He looked at the held monstrel. Hold Person was a simple spell, but brutally effective. It prevented any movements larger than those required for survival in the afflicted. While it could be resisted by particularly powerful or strong willed opponents, Saizou was neither.

He hated him. He wanted to simply end the monstrels life. A simple spell, any of his attack spells would do at this point, and he'd have removed a threat, ended the life of a being who had done nothing more than hurt others. _He threatened me, he hurt Moka, he was going to… _It was so _tempting. _A word and a gesture, and his life would be that much simpler. But he had an objective. He'd forgotten it in the heat of the moment, but he couldn't simply end a life just because. He could already imagine the fallout from killing a Youkai, this early into his academy years.

But more importantly, he didn't think he could bring himself to do it so easily. Once you'd ended a life, nothing could change that. You were the sum total of your actions, you wore them like a yoke around your neck. He sighed.

"You lucky bastard," He said to the paralysed Youkai. "If I was my father, you'd already be a smear on the ground."

He looked at the monstrel. If he was going to spare Saizou, he couldn't leave him as he was. He wanted to keep his identity hidden for as long as possible, after all. He thought for a moment, then gave a vicious smirk. He didn't have the spell prepared, but he had a scroll that would have much the same effect.

"First things first." He mumbled out an incantation and the Youkai eyes slid imperceptibly out of focus. It was difficult to tell, given that he was still paralysed, but the monstrel was now asleep.

He gestured, and a small case appeared in his hand. He opened it and pulled out a sheet of paper. The energy for the spell was already contained within the scroll. All he to do was release it. So he did.

* * *

He'd sat next to Moka in the class after lunch, then walked her back to her dormitory. Doubtless, it wouldn't do much to help the rumours that he and the vampire were dating, so he'd probably get even more death glares, but Moka had still seemed slightly shaken and he couldn't bring himself to leave her alone until she as safely within her room.

He opened the door to his own room and gave a sigh of exasperation. There was a letter sitting on his desk, with a familiar seal embossed onto it.

* * *

"Tell me, Tsukune Aono. What part of my earlier speech eluded you?" The Chairman looked at him over steepled fingers. "I presumed that one of your intelligence would realise the implications of having the attention of the major leaders of both communities."

The room was as dark as previously, and Tsukune still couldn't make out anything under the white hood except for the glowing eyes and outline of the mouth. The temptation to cast a spell to see through the darkness was strong, but he somehow doubted it would improve his situation. Torian stood on his shoulder, staring indignantly at the white-cloaked figure.

"I had my reasons," Tsukune replied calmly. "A fellow student was in danger. I could not, in good conscience, allow Saizou to go through with his actions."

"Indeed. I am aware of the circumstances behind the events earlier today. No doubt Moka Akashiya, for one, is grateful that you were present."

Tsukune stood utterly still. The implications of that statement were worrying. "You were… aware of what Saizou was going to do?" He ground out. "You were simply going to allow it?"

The Chairman's eyes narrowed. "Do not be foolish. I do not have the luxury of simultaneously spying on every single one of my students. I sensed your release of magical energy and scryed the source. Imagine my surprise when I see you standing over the wounded body of another student. Seeing Moka Akashiya there, and being aware of Saizou Komiya's reputation, the likely course of events was easy to discern." He gestured towards a silver basin in the corner of the room as he explained. So the Chairman was capable of using Youki to scry? Tsukune was impressed. Even if he'd had to use a material focus, such as a basin of water, scrying was a fairly high level spell, difficult to duplicate through Youjutsu. Youki was a fairly unstable form of energy after all, far more easily manipulated into destructive purposes than any more benign reasons. Still, it shouldn't really surprise him that one of the three Dark Lord's was a master of Youjutsu.

"I have little doubt that you took the correct action, given the circumstances." The Chairman continued "I merely seek to ensure that you are aware of the consequences of that action."

"I believe I have taken care of most of those consequences, Chairman." Tsukune replied, a slight smile crossing his face. "And ensured that there won't be a repeat of the event."

The white cloaked Youkai was still for a moment, then sighed. "You erased his memory, didn't you?"

"Not exactly. I modified it." Tsukune responded, the smile widening. "Saizou will awaken absolutely convinced that Moka pounded him into the ground with utter ease, thus ensuring my involvement is forgotten and that Moka will not be attacked again."

The Chairman shook his head. "What possible reason could you have had to have a memory modification spell ready?"

"I didn't. I merely possess numerous scrolls prepared to allow me access to several spells I could desire at a moments notice," He shrugged. "I was always taught to be prepared, this academy is reminding me why that's a good idea."

"Oh? Who taught you tha-" The chairman paused, then let out another sigh. "Of course. Your father is Koji Aono. How could I forget?"

Tsukune almost laughed. Koji Aono's reputation for frankly ludicrous levels of preparation was legendary. Who else would have magically trapped the boot of their car to become a non-dimensional holding plane if anyone other than himself tried to open it? An assassin had spent the best part of three days trapped, floating in utter darkness until Koji had opened the boot. He'd practically begged to be allowed to tell Koji everything he knew, if only he wouldn't be sent back to 'the utter emptiness, where your thoughts are so loud, oh they're so loud. You can't hear anything else, but the inside of your own head'.

"Very well," The Youkai stood. "The barrier around this academy prevents others from scrying from outside the grounds, so I doubt that anyone was aware of the events that transpired today. You have personally erased any evidence linking yourself to the injuries of Saizou Komiya. The only eyewitness is, I presume, a friend of yours?"

Tsukune nodded.

"And she is aware of your status as a mage?"

He nodded again.

"Then I shall simply pretend this never happened," He finished. " You may leave."

Tsukune turned, heading for the door.

"Ah. One more thing."

Tsukune stopped, looking back.

"If you have not yet informed Moka Akashiya of your reasons to being here, then it may be wise to do so."

"I'll keep that in mind." he responded, opening the door and leaving the room.

-End Chapter 1-


	3. Chapter 2: Declaration of Intent

Disclaimer: I don't own Rosario+Vampire. Seriously.

Author's note: Alright. No excuses. I'd all but given up on this fic. Well, alright, a few excuses. I'd had exams, moved flats and broken my leg. But really, I'd just been lazy. Notice that I'm using the past tense. From now on I'll be trying to ensure weekly updates. At the very least, this fiasco won't happen again.

Well, it probably won't happen again.

* * *

Diplomatic Relations

Declaration of Intent

Kurumu Kurono looked down on the crowd moving in the hall below. They were hers, even if they didn't know it yet. It wasn't arrogance that made her think that, merely knowledge of the way things were. Succubi had ever thrived in social situations, their guile and abilities with manipulating both mind and senses granting them an advantage that few could hope to match. As far as she knew, she was the only member of her species attending the Academy, which made her the natural leader of the student body. She would then use that influence to search for her Destined One out of the dozens that would be scrabbling for her attentions. That was the way things were.

Or rather, that was the way they _should_ be.

A glimmer of light reflecting off of lustrous hair drew her attention to the root of her problem. Moka Akashiya walked through the milling monsters with sublime grace, the crowd seeming to move around her, ensuring that her path was always open. Kurumu scowled at the sight. Moka Akashiya attracted the attention and respect of those around her so easily and with such little effort that it grated on Kurumu's nerves. She should have been the one who drew the adoring gazes of men and envious gazes of women with her mere presence.

And yet Moka seemed to be the centre of attention, seemingly without even trying. Without noticing even. It was infuriating. Manipulating a crowd was a talent, a skill, an art form, and one that Kurumu had spent much of her life learning. Moka was just a skilled amateur.

A gentle laugh pulled her back from her thoughts. Moka had apparently found some story that the man at her side had told her fairly amusing, if her laughter was any indication. Kurumu studied Tsukune with a curious gaze. He was fairly handsome, she supposed, but in rather standard form. Certainly there were others in this very school who outclassed him in that respect. Was he from a influential family perhaps? Or was he an extremely powerful Youkai? Why had Moka seemingly latched on to him?

Perhaps she should steal him and find out?

A wicked smile crossed her face at the thought. That sounded like a perfect idea, even on further reflection. It would simultaneously prove both her superiority over Moka, and be the beginning of her search for her Destined One. She paused at that. Could Tsukune be her Destined One? It seemed practically karmic, that the greatest obstacle she could see, was in fact no more than a marker for her chosen partner.

The more she thought about that idea, the more she liked it. She moved away from the railing that overlooked the hall, and started the walk to her classroom, a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

* * *

Tsukune stared at the paper he'd been handed wearily. It was a relatively simple exercise, merely asking that a few dozen sentences be converted into English. Given that he'd spent a fair portion of his life in the United Kingdom and possibly had a better grasp of English than he did of Japanese, it had proven almost painfully easy.

This was not a sentiment echoed by most of his classmates.

He wasn't actually surprised by that. Most of them had been born and raised in various secluded areas, and had probably never had reason to learn any language other than the national one. And as far as he knew, there wasn't any form of primary education for Youkai, which meant they'd been home schooled by their parents. Who likely hadn't had any form of education at all. At least not in algebra, English and the history of Imperial Japan.

They were probably pretty good at killing humans though.

He shook his head, dismissing that thought. Dwelling on the fact that many of his classmates parent's had probably consumed several times their own weight in humans over the years probably wasn't the best frame of mind for a diplomat to be in. He looked around the classroom once again, seeking distraction from his thoughts.

Moka seemed to have completed her work fairly quickly and was in a similar position to himself. She gave him a smile as she met his eyes and he nodded in response. He was feeling a little awkward around the vampire. He still hadn't told her his reasons for being here, and couldn't really find a good time to bring it up. In retrospect, he probably should have divulged that particular piece of info after he'd saved her, but there was no sense crying over lost opportunities. He moved his gaze onwards.

There were a few others who seemed to have finished their work, but the majority of the class seemed stumped. He vaguely wondered if there was some sort of system to help student's with a lacking education. Maybe some kind of tutorial class?

A rapid movement in the corner of his eye drew his attention. A blue haired girl sat a few seats to his side. , stretching her arms in a way that showed off her breasts in a rather… fascinating manner. He averted his eyes, noticing as he did so that a great number of his male classmates (and one or two female classmates) were not.

He sighed, looking down at his desk. If he had a spellbook, he could have easily wasted away the half hour he had remaining of class, researching the effects and practical uses of any number of incantations. But he somehow doubted that the class would react positively to him studying magic right in front of them. Maybe he could bring a novel instead?

* * *

The ringing of the bell after such a long, tiresome lesson felt like a choir of angels. Shrill, repetitive angels, but still a celestial choir of hope. For a moment, the class was still, and then there was a burst of activity as the students began making their way to the lunch all for the daily battle. Moka moved up beside him.

"So… Where do you feel like eating today?" She smiled down at him.

He slowly climbed to his feet, responding as he did so.

"Hmmm… What about the roof? We haven't eaten there yet." Moka gave a cheerful nod in assent, and then fell into step beside him. It had been three days since his encounter with the Monstrel, and he'd eaten lunch with Moka every day. He didn't mind. He quite enjoyed it in fact. Moka was pleasant company, and he wasn't averse to her presence, but she seemed determined to make it a daily ritual. He vaguely wondered if she'd actually had friends before. It would certainly explain her slightly clingy behaviour if she hadn't.

It was only a few minutes before he found himself once again surveying the lunch hall. Alliances had shifted in the last few days. The karate club remained a force unto their selves, but had seemingly attracted a following of new students, who would no doubt soon be inducted into the club. The Sport's alliance had grown, now incorporating the tennis club along with the founding football and hockey club. The photography club had apparently allied with the painting club, seizing a critical advantage against their old allies, the acupuncture club….

He shook his head in exasperation. The lunch hall seemed to be the unofficial battleground for students to blow off their frustrations and anger. He gave a jump to the side as a second year pupil was thrown out the mass. He landed in a back roll and was back on his feet in a flash, charging back into the fray with a roar.

"Torian," The pseudodragon raised his head at the sound of Tsukune's voice "You're up."

"Again? This is surely the most dangerous task you've ever set me," Torian gave a sigh as he looked out over the crowd. "I'm sure some of the football club have been training to catch me. They very nearly got me last time."

Tsukune snorted in amusement at the dragons complaints.

"Alright, I'll give you a hand." He incanted the words of the spell quietly, and Torian's wings began to beat at a much greater speed.

"Ahastespell?Wonderful!" The Pseudodragon took off, soaring across the room at very nearly twice his normal speed. Hands grasped up at him as always, but with the enhancement to his speed, none even came close. He banked down towards the countertop, extending his rear claws like a bird of prey as he once again snatched a ham salad and a ham and mustard, one packet to each claw. Once again, a howl of dismay echoed behind him as those who had fought saw their prizes snatched away.

"Nice work as always," Tsukune took the sandwiches from the returning dragon, passing Moka hers. "I'll be counting on you tomorrow."

The lizard snorted.

"Ofcourseyouwill," The dragon paused, then began again, focusing on slowing it's speech down. "I mean, of course you will. You know, when I agreed to our contract, I never thought my duties would involve being a glorified waiter."

"Well, you learn something new everyday, don't you?"

Torian gave him another disgruntled snort, and Tsukune grinned, patting the dragons head.

They made their way to the roof at a fairly slow pace, simply enjoying the feeling of stretching their legs after the long sit-down., even Torian seeming to enjoy the feeling of movement. Eventually though, they reached their destination. Tsukune opened the door to the roof and stepped through, holding it open for Moka. As he did so, he felt the warm breeze blowing on him, and smiled. The weather had been really quite pleasant for the last few days, to the point where he couldn't help but suspect that the Chairman was perhaps altering it a little. Or perhaps the stupidly huge barrier that surrounded this place did that naturally.

He glanced up as the thought crossed his mind. To untrained eyes, the sky was a beautiful blue, the sun shining brightly, unobstructed by so much as a single cloud. To the rather more sensitive eyes of a Wizard, the sky was crisscrossed with magical glyphs and runes. From here, it was hard to actively make out details but occasionally, he thought he saw familiar patterns.

Frankly, the barrier amazed him more every time he saw it. Youki just wasn't suited for constructing anything more than a temporary field. To force it to become a permanent structure with so many additional features must have required insane levels of skill.

_It must be sustained by some kind of nexus point_, he thought, picking open his sandwich. _Perhaps some form of altar, with a key to enable easy control of the barrier._

_Perhaps_, His mind shot back. _But why do you want to know? Does it matter?_

_Well, no. But I'd still like to know. Curiosity is the greatest advantage a mage can have_, he argued, taking a bite of ham. Damn that was good.

_Have you ever heard the saying 'Curiosity destroyed any chance of the peace treaty the cat had been sent to maintain, putting him in utter ignominy and disgrace as he wallowed in his own failure'? No? Well let's not create it, shall we? _

_That's… really not very catchy_, he chided. _Is that the best you could come up with? What do I feed you for?_

_Survival, mostly. Believe it or not, a brain is quite a vital component_ _for the functioning of the human body_.

"Tsukune, are you okay? You're being rather quiet."

He blinked, startled as Moka spoke.

"Hmmm? Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the barrier." He gestured at the sky.

Moka turned her gaze upwards.

"You can see it?"

Tsukune nodded.

"Yeah, one of the advantages of being a wizard." He stared up at it, shielding his eyes from the sun with an upraised hand.

"What does it look like?" Moka gave him a curious look. He wondered what it must be like to be unaware of the flows of magic around yourself, to be unable to sense or see the invisible forces at work. He could barely even remember the time before he'd begun his training in magic…

He shook his head. He sunk into his thoughts too much. It was a habit he needed to correct.

"It's beautiful. There's thousands of glyphs, all intertwined in subtle patterns, layered one atop the other, interlinked…" He stopped when Moka gave a small giggle next to him. He turned to look at her, and she held up her hands apologetically.

"Sorry." A gentle smile crossed her face. "You just sounded so enthusiastic, like you were talking about your favourite cartoon or something."

Tsukune gave an abashed grin at her words, and they settled into a comfortable silence, finishing off the remains of their lunch.

* * *

The period after lunch was, quite mercifully, much shorter than the previous one. It was little more than two hours until the final bell rang, releasing the students.

As always, Moka was beside him in but a few seconds, waiting for him to pack up so that they could walk back towards the dorms together. He placed his textbooks into and stood. It appeared that they'd be the last to leave the class once again, with most of the students all but sprinting out of the room.

Just as they were about to follow suit and leave, a voice interrupted them.

"Ah, Moka. I wanted to talk with you. It'll only take five minutes." Ms Nekonome called out, gesturing at Moka to come towards her.

"I'll wait if you want." Tsukune offered, only for Moka to shake her head in response.

"It's fine. You can just go on without me."

"Well, if you're sure…" Moka gave a him a nod and turned back to the teacher.

"Yes, Ms Nekonome?"

Tsukune closed the door behind him, shutting out the rest of the conversation. Curious as he was to whatever was holding Moka up, it wasn't really his business.

He walked back to the dorms faster than normal, taking a shortcut through a small courtyard. He was just walking through it when a small voice caught his attention.

"Oooh… Help me…"

He turned and then blinked in surprise. The blue haired girl from earlier was on all fours, looking up at him plaintively.

"What's wrong?" He ran over to her, kneeling down and supporting her, taking care not put too much pressure on her body.

"I-I just felt really sick all of a sudden," Her voice was getting fainter, and she seemed to be shaking slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes watering slightly. "Could you help me to the infirmary?"

Tsukune nodded, raising her gently to her feet and allowing her to rest her weight on him as they began to walk, Torian leaping off of his should so as to make carrying the girl easier. As he moved, he became acutely aware of her breasts pushing into his side. He suppressed the feeling from his thoughts quickly. There was no way he was going to take advantage of the condition of a sick girl to cop a grope.

That quickly became more and more difficult not to do though, as the girl seemed to be leaning her weight more and more on him with each step they took, to the point that he was all but carrying her. Her breathing seemed to have steadied, and she seemed to have closed her eyes, relaxing completely with her head on his shoulder. She was adorable.

_That sort of cuteness is illegal, right? If it isn't, there should be a law made against it. Her well developed body, the reliance on someone else, that slight neediness and the way she seemed so happy just leaning against him. It's dangerously cute._

"Thank you for helping me," He looked down, startled out of his reverie, to see the girl staring up at him, a small smile on her face. "I'm Kurumu Kurono. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Tsukune Aono. Same here." He replied. His gaze flicked up as they began to approach the turning to the mian school building. _Now which way was it to the iinfimary again?_

"You've got something next to your eye, Tsukune." He turned down to her as she spoke up again.

"Oh? Wher-"

Their eyes met.

_She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was perfect in all ways. She was his eternal love, the very meaning of his existence. He would serve at her side for all existence, and nothing would make him happier. He would be together with her for all time. She was the kindest, purest being he'd ever known_.

He almost staggered under the sudden rush of thoughts and emotions. Love, adoration and devotion poured over his mind like honey, sweet and cloying.

This is _wrong_. He grasped onto that thought like a sailor grasping a lifeline in a storm. These feeling's were too sudden, too intense, to be real. Something was effecting his mind, and it was almost certainly the girl currently latched onto him.

Focus. This is just another problem. Work through it. First things first. What is she? _The most beautiful woman I've ever met, my beloved, my- _No.

That wasn't right. Focus. She was a student at Youkai Academy. That meant she was not human, that she could be any number of types of Youkai with the ability to affect minds. But due to the fact that most of the induced thoughts had a definite romantic and/or sexual angle to them- _She was perfection itself. How could I not desire her, want to serve her, wan_- she was likely from a species that specialised in seduction. Perhaps a Succubus, or a Kitsune. That meant that he was under a Charm. Yes, that fit. _What does it matter? My feelings are not false. I love her._

No. The feelings were false. They were artificially induced. A Charm was a spell of sorts. created through Youki, meant to create love and devotion, and then map them to a specific individual. In this case, Kurumu Kurono. He had to remember that. But it was still magic, even if of a type that he hadn't studied, or couldn't use. There were ways to undo it.

Kurumu watched Tsukune carefully. He hadn't moved in the few seconds since she'd placed her Charm on him. He seemed paralysed, his eyes closed and his breathing barely perceptible. Even that strange winged lizard that followed him seemed to be in a daze, lying still on the ground. Had she misjudged her power and hit him with too hard a charm? That would be aggravating, since undoing a Charm took some time.

Tsukune inspected his mind. The Charm was like a thread, intertangled with his very thoughts. It was hard to even think about breaking free, or even gather the drive to do so. Annoyingly, it seemed like his own confusion had passed through the mental link to Torian. The pseudodragon was normally immune to even the most powerful mental intrusion, but it seemed like that protection did nothing about information passed to him from his master via the familiar contract. The thought that he was causing the dragon discomfort through his own relative vulnerability was a decidedly unpleasant one.

He gritted his teeth, dismissing unnecessary thoughts from his mind. He needed focus. Calm. He knew the source of his affliction, now he just had to dismiss it.

Slowly, he began to force his lips to move, chanting the words of a spell.

Kurumu blinked as Tsukune's lips moved, mumbling something out. She leaned in towards him, ear towards his lips.

"-cut the knot. Dispel."

A flash of light pulsed out , and Kurumu stumbled backwards, shielding her eyes instinctively.

Tsukune stood still for a second, his thoughts, now blissfully free of compulsion, reordering themselves. The past few seconds were viewed in a new, unobstructed light, and he felt a sudden burst of rage. She'd tried to control him. She'd attacked his mind, his very core, and nearly bent it to her will. Questions were going to be asked as to her motives, though he could take a fair guess. But first things first.

Kurumu stared at Tsukune. She could tell just from the look on his face. He'd broken her charm. She felt a flutter of both irritation and excitement. Irritation that he'd broken free of her Charm, and excitement that he'd done the same. Surely someone who could resist her Charm so easily was a strong candidate for her Destined One? But first things first.

"Grant my mind the armour of solitude," Tsukune whispered under his breath, his hands forming odd shapes and patterns quickly and efficiently "Let not corrupted whispers taint my thoughts, nor twisted words bring me to madness."

He raised his gaze as the spell sprang into completion. Their eyes met for the second time that minute.

Kurumu fought down an urge to begin gloating as their eyes met once again. She'd held back a little on the last Charm, but it was obvious now that Tsukune would take all of her power to subdue. As was to be expected of her Destined One candidate.

_Just hold on a moment, Tsukune. This'll be a little rough_, she thought. _But after this, I'll make it up you._

Her Charm was almost a physical presence as it slammed towards him. And broke aside completely.

A fierce grin split Tsukune's face.

Kurumu stood stock still for a second, shock written across her face. He hadn't resisted it that time. It was more like the Charm just hadn't even connected. It had been like throwing water at someone, only to find that they're standing behind an invisible wall.

She met his eyes once more, hammering away with her will. Tsukune smile grew wider as her attempts grew wilder and more desperate. The Fortress of the Mind was a simple but incredibly powerful and specialised spell. It blocked any form of… 'induced' interference to the brain, whether magic or psionic. A Charm cast by a young, inexperienced Succubus/Kitsune/Unknown Youkai didn't stand a chance.

"Are you done?" He raised an eyebrow mockingly, his arms crossed confidently.

Kurumu stepped back, her body crouching defensively. There was a ripping sound as wings burst through her uniform, and he noticed her nails had grown to an almost dagger like length. Definitely a Succubus then.

"What are you?" she asked. She'd heard that incredibly powerful Youkai could shrug off a Charm, but this was… different.

Tsukune hesitated at that question. It was a bizarre one. He'd been assuming that this girl had been aware of who and what he was, and actively working to sabotage his mission, or simply lashing out because of some grudge. He held up his hands in front of him in a placating manner.

"Wait. Timeout. What exactly is-"

"Tsukune!" Both of them turned sharply at the sudden call.

Moka stood only a few meters away, staring at the scene of Tsukune and Kurumu facing off, with the Succubuses talons and wings outstretched.

Kurumu began to panic. Things were not going as planned. Her prey had proven immune to her Charm, and now Moka had shown up. She didn't have many illusions about her chances of taking a Vampire on in single combat. _Not that it would be single combat_, she thought, eyeing Tsukune. Best to withdraw for now.

A sudden burst of motion drew Tsukune's gaze back to Kurumu. She'd leapt into the air, her wings propelling her into the sky with a fluid grace.

"Torian! After her!" He shouted. He had quite a few questions to ask her. The most important of which being, _What in God's name was that about_?

The pseudodragon took off, gaining steadily in his pursuit. Simply put, no matter how you phrased it, a humanoid body just wasn't that aerodynamic. Even with the natural form of Youjutsu that allowed her to fly at all, there wasn't a hope in hell Kurumu was going to outrun Torian.

"Tsukune, what's going on?" Moka had ran up to him, her gaze alternating between him and the disappearing Succubus. He shook his head in response.

'Frankly, your guess is as good as mine.' He began to wrack his mind for information on Succubi. There wasn't all that much. They had several powerful innate magic abilities, such as their Charm and flight, and were surprisingly powerful physical opponents when they needed to be. They were famed for their physical beauty and seductive powers, and would often protect themselves by acquiring a rich or powerful man as a servant. That was pretty much all he'd learnt about them really. He knew next to nothing about their culture, or common thought processes. In other words, nothing that could help.

He shook his head in frustration. If she'd known who he was, than he could have understood her attempting to seize control of him, but she'd seemed generally ignorant of his status as a mage, let alone his familial links.

_Looks like I'll just have to ask her myself_.

* * *

Kurumu threw herself though the open window of her room. Turning, she slammed the window shut. The creature that had been following her veered sharply upwards to avoid hitting the new obstruction, and she breathed a sigh of relief, collapsing on her bed.

Today had been an utter fiasco. First she'd failed to bring Tsukune under her control, then Moka had shown up and finally she'd been pursued by a flying lizard. She rubbed her brow. She needed a plan. Tsukune and Moka were aware of her now, and she wouldn't be able to catch them off guard. More than tha-

She blinked as the lizard that had pursued her hovered in front of the window. It reared back slightly, like it was taking a deep breath, and Kurumu pursed her brow in confusion. What was it doi-?

A huge wave of flame burst through the window, reducing it to a heap of molten glass and metal, and Kurumu shrieked, leaping backwards from the sheer heat of the fire. The small dragon leapt through the newly created gap, seemingly perfectly at ease with the bubbling stone surrounding it. Landing, it fixed it gaze on her and opened it's mouth slightly, revealing a row of incredibly sharp looking teeth. The threat was obvious and for a moment, Kurumu hesitated. This thing had just reduced a fair portion of her room to so much slag, and looked all too willing to do the same to her. But if it wasn't killing her straight off the bat, then it was probably waiting for something, likely it's owner. She wasn't sure she wanted to be around when he arrived.

* * *

_Master, I've secured her_, Torian's voice rang through his head at an irritating volume and Tsukune fought the urge to rub his brow. He'd never enjoyed mental communication. In fact, one of his first agreements with Torian was that they'd stay out of one another's heads, except for whenever necessary.

_Alright_, he paused, hesitating a little. _Sorry about this Torian, but I'm gonna need to get a look at where you are_.

_Uh_. The dragons one syllable response told Tsukune exactly what his familiar thought of that idea. _Fine, but make it quick_.

Tsukune focused, reaching along the link that he and his familiar shared. He felt the pseudodragons mind, and through that, its senses. It was a relatively simple thing to share one of them for a shot time. He opened his new eyes, and was relieved to find that Torian wasn't using his infrared vision. It was hard enough feeling like you'd been squeezed into a body a few sizes too small, let alone having see the world like everything was made of neon. After a few seconds, he felt confident that he had a good enough visualisation of the room and slid his mind out of the dragons body.

_Thanks, Torian_. The dragon gave a brief hiss of acknowledgment, before no doubt switching it's attention back to the trapped Succubus.

"Hey, Moka, I'll just be a sec-" He cut off, startled by Moka's hands wrapping around his arm. He gave her a curious look.

"I'm coming too," She met his eyes with a steadfast gaze, and he found himself lacking the heartlessness to simply dismiss her. "I'm your friend, right? And… and I might be able to help!" He considered the request.

Certainly, both he and Torian would be there, and the chances of a Succubus being able to charm a Vampire, and one of the same gender no less, would be pretty much nonexistent. She wouldn't be in much danger. Then again, she wouldn't be much help either, and depending on the situation, he might have to be a little rough. He didn't really want her to see that.

"I'm coming." Her voice sounded only more steadfast as she repeated herself. "I'm your friend, right?"

The second part was definitely phrased as a question, and he once again wondered if she'd ever had a friend before. He shook his head remorsefully. He just couldn't gather the necessary coldness to turn her down. It would feel like kicking a vampiric puppy.

"'Course you are." He held out a hand, and she took it, a smile blooming across her face. He fought down the urge to blush embarrassedly at that sight. Another person who was just far too cute. "Well then…"

* * *

Kurumu glanced at the window for the fiftieth or so time. The dragon just watched her. It had positioned itself dead centre between the window and door, and she didn't fancy her chances at rushing either of them. She ground her teeth, and then stopped. That wasn't ladylike, and it could damage them permanently. She closed her eyes, thinking. The best option would be one that the creature wouldn't expect. Like chargingit.

She opened her eyes, measuring the distance between them. It was possible she'd make it before it unleashed it breath, but by no means certain. Perhaps if she feinted to the left first…

Her thoughts were cut off when, all of sudden , Tsukune Aono stood in front of her, Moka Akashiya by his side.

She stared at him, shock at his sudden appearance temporarily seeming to cut off her ability to speak. Torian, meanwhile, retook his place on his master's shoulder, but still kept a steady glare aimed at her.

"Yo." He raised a hand in greeting.

Her thoughts cart wheeling, Kurumu nevertheless grasped onto what had just happened.

"That was teleportation!' Her gaze shot to . 'You're a Warlock!"

Tsukune shook his head, a small grin on his face. 'Afraid not. Try again.'

Kurumu paused. That couldn't have been anything but magic, and the only species she knew of that specifically focused on the Youjutsu arts were the Witches and their male counterparts, the Warlocks. So barring him being a cross dresser, (Which, thanks to her natural Succubus instincts, she knew he wasn't), the only obvious answer was that he wasn't a Youkai…

Her gaze rose up at him for the second time

"You're a Mage!"

Tsukune sighed.

"I guess you really didn't know."

"I can't say it crossed my mind, no," Kurumu seemed stunned by the revelation. "I mean, I knew that we're at peace with the League now, but I never thought that there'd be one at the school."

"Well, there's a bit of a story to that, actually…"

"Really? What is it?" Kurumu seemed to have forgotten all about the situation they were in, looking at him with honest, childlike curiosity. Tsukune fought the urge to sigh. It was hard to stay angry at this girl. She was just too… honest at everything she did.

"I'm actually interested in that too, Tsukune." Moka piped up from next to him. "I mean, I don't really know that much about you. You don't really talk about yourself."

Tsukune rubbed his brow thoughtfully. This was actually a fairly good opportunity to bring his reasons for being here to light. While he was still curious as to the reasons for Kurumu's actions, she wasn't going anywhere, and didn't seem particularly hostile. He had time.

"Well…"

* * *

"Wow…' Kurumu looked vaguely impressed as he finished his story. 'So you're like an ambassador then? And a prince?"

Tsukune snorted.

"Well, more like a guinea pig for a social experiment, but I like your terminology more." He sighed. "And I'm not a prince. The Mage's League doesn't have hereditary positions anymore. If I succeed my father, It'll be my own merits."

"So… why didn't you tell me this before?" Tsukune looked at Moka. She seemed a little put out, like she was disappointed in him.

"Well, it's not like I didn't want to," He said, scratching his cheek awkwardly. "It's just that there was never really a good time to bring it up, or I had other things on my mind when there was."

Moka nodded, seemingly accepting the response. She still didn't look too happy though. Not much he could do about that though. He turned to look at the Kurumu.

"I'd like an explanation on your actions now, please. If it wasn't because I was a mage, then what was that attack earlier about?"

Kurumu look vaguely embarrassed as she replied.

"Well, it's a bit of a Succubus thing. I'd have to explain a few things about our culture to help you understand it."

"Would you?" Tsukune said, his curiosity aroused. "I was just thinking earlier that I didn't know all that much about Succubi."

"You want to know about us?" Kurumu looked positively ecstatic at his interest. "Then first, you've got to understand that…"

* * *

Tsukune nodded his head in understanding.

"So, you were targeting me as a potential candidate for you 'Destined One'?" Kurumu bobbed her head affirmatively in response.

"That's how it works. We gather a selection of talented guys, and then find the one that just… calls to us."

It made sense, Tsukune thought. In nature, large groups of males fighting for the attentions of females wasn't unusual. The Succubus was simply an advancement on that, in that they actively promoted such things, so as to increase the chances of finding their perfect partner.

"So why me then?" Tsukune asked "I haven't done anything to distinguish myself here, as far as I'm aware."

Kurumu gave a slight smile.

"You were hanging around with Moka Akashiya." She shrugged. "Vampires tend to be picky about who they spend time around, so I figured that you were someone incredible if she was clinging to you."

Moka blushed at that, and Tsukune fought to keep a similar tint from crossing his face. He paused as a thought occurred to him.

"Then weren't you being a little foolhardy picking me first?" Kurumu cocked her head curiously at that, and he continued. "I mean, if I had been some amazingly powerful Youkai, isn't there a fair chance I might have shrugged of the Charm and then targeted you in revenge for your attempted control? Shouldn't you have gathered some defenders first, just in case?"

Kurumu looked a little sheepish as he finished.

"Well… In… in retrospect, that might have been a good idea, but you know…" Kurumu twiddled her fingers "I… well, I thought you might be the one and hurried it a little."

Tsukune suppressed his smile. Kurumu was just so honest and forthright, holding any kind of grudge was pretty much impossible. Everything she did, she did with everything she had. It was… quite adorable, actually.

"And to be fair, I was right! I'm so lucky to find my Destined One on my first go!"

"Wait, what?" Tsukune gave her a blank look, and she gave him a beaming smile in return,

"Oh come on! You're perfect!" She held her head in her hands, a dreamy expression crossing her face. "You're a prince-"

"No, I'm not."

"-An ambassador-"

"Not really."

"-A talented mage-"

"That's…"

"And," She met his eyes. "You're really kind. Not many people would have just forgiven and forgotten an attack like that."

"I… Well…" His thoughts were all but paralysed. He was aware that he'd just been effectively proposed to, but it was hard to think of a proper response.

_Some help here?, _He asked.

_Sorry, _his thoughts replied, _drawing a blank here too I'm afraid. Stall for time. _

"I'm flattered by your attentions," he said, holding up his hands defensively. "But I should probably remain romantically uninvolved with anyone while I'm at this Academy. For the mission."

Kurumu looked disappointed for a second, then thoughtful, then triumphant. "Then what about _after_ you've completed the Academy?"

_Help me!, _Tsukune all but screamed in his own mind. Only silence returned. _You bastard! Are you abandoning me now! When I need you the most?_

_Hey, don't blame me_, his mind shot back, _I solve equations, magical problems and other such intellectual matters! You want to talk about romance, talk to your glands!_

_My glands aren't sentient!_

_And you think I'm your actual brain talking back to you! I'm an artificial mental construct! I'm a particularly verbose imaginary friend! What do you want from me!_

"Well, I… don't know." Tsukune said, hesitating. "I guess I could just do what I want…"

"Then it's settled!" Kurumu gave a victory sign. "I'll have you fall for me, and once we're done with the Academy, we'll get married!"

She turned to face Moka and raised a finger at her.

"And I definitely won't lose to you!"

"What! W-W-W-what's that suppose to mean!" Moka began flailing her arms around in a panic, her face an interesting shade of red.

Tsukune sighed.

* * *

He returned to his dorm feeling entirely too tired. Even Torian seemed exhausted, though that was no doubt at least partly because he'd spent the entire journey back making quips about Tsukune forming a harem.

He opened the door to his room, and felt his exhaustion increase yet further. Sitting on the desk was a small letter. A familiar seal was embossed on it.

* * *

He entered the office of the Chairman with a certain dread. He had a sneaking suspicion as to what this was about.

The glowing eyes of the Youkai peered out at him from under his hood, and a thin, far too wide smile appeared on his face.

"Do not worry, Tsukune Aono. This will be a short meeting." The eyes flashed. "I merely wish to know if you have the funds to repair Miss Kurono's room on you, or if I should send the bill to your father."

Tsukune sighed.

-End Chapter 2-


	4. Chapter 3: Necessary Steps

Disclaimer: You know the drill. Don't own it, almost certainly never will.

A/N: Well, it's a little late, but it's also a little longer than I'd thought it'd be so it all balances out, I suppose. Also many thanks to my reviewers, particularly those who pointed the out mistakes I'd made. The sooner you point them out, the sooner I can correct them.

* * *

Diplomatic Relations

Necessary Steps

The halls were a thrum of activity. From stalls, tables and the occasional tent, seniors called out to the first years, trying to attract them to take a look. In some cases, they skipped the 'attract' part, and simply dragged them over. The sports clubs in particular seemed to enjoy the more coercive methods of recruitment, Tsukune noted, watching a single first year surrounded by Youkai nearly twice his size having a form being shoved into his hands. Tsukune felt a moments sympathy for the first years, then crushed it. He had his own problems to deal with.

He'd known that Moka and Kurumu would be popular candidates for any club. They were attractive, intelligent, fairly athletic and perhaps most importantly, would draw others as well. He'd also known that by exploring the club fair with them, he'd have to put up with constant attempts to persuade them to join one club or the other. That was fairly obvious. He had however slightly… underestimated the fervour in which they would be pursued.

"Moka! Join the acupuncture club!"

"No! Join the photography club! We need models!"

"Don't be foolish! The hockey club is-!"

"Kurumu! The painting club-!"

Their excited shouting mixed, becoming an almost indecipherable mess of sound. Moka and Kurumu had taken shelter behind him, and while he appreciated the show of trust, he wasn't quite as satisfied with the fact that he was exposed to the constant barrage of enrolment papers being thrust his way. Torian did his best to keep the crowd away, snapping at hands furiously, which helped a fair bit.

The crowd that surrounded them was a varied lot, and it was evident that many of them hadn't got their human disguises quite right, or were perhaps letting them slip a little in the excitement. The occasional horn, claw or scale that poked out attested to that.

"Tsukune, maybe we should go somewhere a little quieter…?" Moka voice peeped out from behind him, and he had to strain to hear it over the din.

"Yeah," Kurumu's voice was much clearer, and she surveyed the crowd with casual confidence. "There's no point hanging around here. These guys are just getting on my nerves."

Unlike Moka, who seemed genuinely intimidated by the sheer volume of people surrounding them, Kurumu wasn't even phased. He wasn't quite sure why she'd even bothered to hide behind him.

"I was getting a little tired of it myself." he replied, batting away a form that a particularly persistent member of the crowd was trusting at them. The only problem was _how_ to get away. Magic was out, since he couldn't be sure there wasn't a Witch or Warlock in the crowd, and they'd pick up the fact that he was using arcane energy, as opposed to Youki. Which would blow his cover utterly. As Torians only useful magic trick for this situation involved shooting fire, his familiar was out. He was pretty sure he couldn't force his way through with ray, physical power either. He wasn't in bad shape, but he was a little on the scrawny side as far as muscles went. Also, he was human, which meant that a fair number of them could probably snap him like a twig if they were so inclined, even if he had muscles the size of footballs. Which meant he'd have to rely on the finest of human arts.

Lying.

"Oi!," He shouted out, stepping forward. "It's pointless! We've all already joined a club!"

A low moan of disappointment rose from the throats of the surrounding crowd. A voice rang out.

"Which one! What club has stolen them! Which one!"

The cry of 'Which one!' was rapidly taken up by the crowd, and the mood quickly turned to near hysteria. Apparently, Youkai took their clubs seriously. Like they took lunch seriously.

Tsukune hesitated for a second. Whichever club he picked would likely become the target of the frenzy of the mob.

"The cricket club." He gestured behind the crowd. "They're at the opposite end of the hal-"

With a roar that obscured his voice, the mob swept along the corridor, knocking aside the few unfortunate passer-by's not fast enough to get out of their way.

Tsukune stared at their backs. The fact that they'd actually fallen for that surprised him. Were Youkai really that gullible? Or were they just stupider in large numbers? He'd heard a theory that a crowd tended to be less intelligent and more easily manipulated than the individuals that composed it…

"Do we even have a cricket club?" Moka asked, moving beside him. He blinked as his flow of thoughts was interrupted.

"I doubt it," Tsukune snorted. "Even the English don't know the rules of the bloody sport. I highly doubt anyone in a Japanese school for Youkai does."

* * *

Edward Brown smiled quietly to himself as he ran a thin piece of cloth over the bat, wiping the dust from it. He had set up a small booth for the fair, as school policy demanded. But he'd done it at the far end of the hall, all but hidden away. He was once again looking forwards to another year of silence in the clubroom, the only sound being the slow turning of old newspapers, as he read the stories of the great cricket matches of history.

While other clubs had to worry about keeping a certain number of members, he had obtained permission to maintain his club some time ago, despite being the only member. His parent's significant monetary contributions to the Academy had guaranteed that.

A sudden burst of sound and motion at the doors leading into the hall drew his attention and he looked up to see a mob, screaming… something.

They stormed through the room, seemingly headed directly for him. In fact, the closer they got, the more certain he was that they _were _heading for him. His heart skipped a beat. Could they… Could they be wanting to join the club? Wanting to disturb his sanctuary? No! He would not allow it!

"Wait right there!" He jumped to his feet, a hand outstretched. "Just where do yo- Wait, what are you doing! Put me do-! I said, sto-! Wait! That doesn't bend that way!"

* * *

Finally clear of the most persistent 'club hunters', they made their way through the fair.

"So does anyone have anything they actually want to do?" Tsukune asked, looking at a brochure for the kickboxing club that had been shoved into his hand. He disregarded it almost instantly. He liked his brain intact.

"I'll join whatever you're joining." Kurumu gave him a wide smile, clinging onto his arm. Since their confrontation a few days ago, the Succubus had attached herself onto him, meeting with him every morning, spending the day with him and then walking with him and Moka back to the dorms. It was exhausting, but, he was forced to admit, a little flattering. He didn't really mind her presence. He doubted any man would. But fending off her gestures of affection drained him of energy and the thought of going to club activities with her gave him a feeling of dark foreboding.

"I… don't really mind," Moka said quietly. "Really, I'd just like to take a look around first."

Tsukune opened his mouth to reply, when a new voice broke into conversation.

"Oh? Have you not decided what club to join yet?" They turned.

The women who'd spoken was stunningly beautiful. Long black hair, a well proportioned body and a wide, smile made her attractive by almost any standards. The bikini and sarong she wore suited her, and her stance suggested she was well aware of her beauty, and quite fond of flaunting it.

"That's right," Moka replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we've met?"

The woman gave Moka a brief, appraising look, then turned her attention to Tsukune.

"How rude of me. I'm Tamao Ichinose, captain of the swimming club." She approached them, grasping Tsukune's hands. "If you're looking to join somewhere, then can I suggest the swimming club? We don't have any male members, so we'd like to correct that."

Tsukune paused at the offer. Swimming had never really appealed to him and truth be told, there was something a little unsettling about the girl in front of him. She was just too friendly, and too forward. And she was ignoring Kurumu and Moka to focus on him, which was the first time that had happened today. And the swimming club had no male members? That just sounded suspicious.

"Ah, no thanks," Tsukune finally answered. "I'm not that fond of swimming."

Tamao gave a brief frown, that was rapidly covered with another smile.

"Oh, do you not know how to swim? That's fine, I'd love to teac-"

"I can swim just fine," Tsukune interrupted. "I'm just not that fond of it. I can't speak for my friends though. They might be interested in joining."

He gestured at Moka and Kurumu as he spoke, but Tamao gave them a brief, bored glance, before once again focusing back on him. He felt a burst of irritation at that. They were his friends, and her dismissal of them was blatantly insulting. More than that, her strange fixation with him was setting off his 'ulterior motives' alarm.

"Maybe if you gave it a chance-" Tamao's argument was cut off by Kurumu, who seemed to have had enough of the older girls closeness to Tsukune.

"He said he's not interested. And I'm not either. So you can just leave." She crossed her arms.

The two of them glared at each other, hostility all but physically emanating from them.

"I think he can speak for himself."

"I think he already did."

"Well, maybe he should listen to what I'm saying, you pathetic little whore!"

"Oh? You're calling me a whore? I'm not the one traipsing around in three inches of fabric and a patch of latex!" Kurumu's nails began to extend, taking on a decidedly lethal edge.

And that, Tsukune decided, was about their cue to exit. He grabbed Moka's and Kurumu's hands, giving Tamao a quick nod of acknowledgement.

"Thank you very much for your offer, but I'm afraid we're just not interested."

He turned, dragging the confused vampire and snarling succubus behind him.

* * *

"Can you believe that… that… evil little…!" They were sitting on the roof, eating a few snacks that they'd purchased from a stall that an enterprising student had set up. Kurumu had been extolling the sins and flaws of the swim captain since they'd ran away from her, and showed no signs of slowing down.

"I mean, it's not enough that she was all but groping you," Kurumu ripped open her sandwiches packet. "But she also just didn't know how to take 'No' for an answer!"

Frankly, Tsukune didn't think that Kurumu had any right to be griping about anyone not taking no for an answer, but kept his mouth shut. Kurumu was obviously feeling territorial, and would likely take any negative comment from him as a reason to step up the intensity of her… physical intimacy. He really wanted to avoid that. Well, he mostly did. There were certain parts of him that would be quite satisfied with such a course of events, but he was prioritising his brain over his glands.

"Well, I'm a little glad that you didn't join the swimming club, Tsukune," Moka stated, cutting across Kurumu's vitriol. "It would have been a shame if I'd had to go to a different club to you and Kurumu."

"Oh? Why would you have to-," He paused as realisation came upon him. "Oh. Vampire. Right. I forget sometimes."

"That's not really surprising," Kurumu quipped, seemingly forgetting about her rage as the conversation topic changed. "I mean, you don't really act like a vampire Moka. You don't drink blood, you don't lord over others, you don't beat people up to just to show how strong you are and you aren't even arrogant."

_Vampires have a pretty bad reputation among other Youkai, huh? _He thought. While he'd been taught a fair bit about Youkai by both instructors and textbooks within the League, it had been strictly strengths, weaknesses and where relevant, territory. The social links between Youkai species hadn't even been touched on. Looking back, he suspected that this was to… 'dehumanise' them, for lack of a better term. You weren't meant to view them as living, independent beings, with their own thoughts and emotions. They were to be targets. Things to be hunted and brought down like animals. It was sickening. He wondered if his father had already changed that particular element of the education system.

"We aren't all like that!" Moka shook her head furiously. "It's just that the most active vampires tend to… look down on others a little. And I used to drink blood occasionally! It's just hard to find a willing donor with anything approaching pleasant blood here!"

She gave him a slightly mournful look at that final part, and he fought down a surge of guilt. He wasn't obliged to be blood bank, damn it! He had a right to keep the biological elements vital for life firmly within him.

"Anybody feel like something to drink?" He changed the subject, pulling his bag onto to his lap. " I've got orange juice, coke, ice tea, tomato juice-"

"I'll take tomato juice." Moka replied, taking the proffered bottle.

"I'll just share whatever you're having." Kurumu said, sitting down next to him, leaning into him slightly. He leaned back from her face, which was now uncomfortably close.

"OK. That'll be lemon ice tea then. Are you fine with that?" She nodded, and he passed her a bottle, before taking one for himself.

Her face crumpled slightly in disappointment, and she took a small sip with a dissatisfied look on her face.

"How do you fit so much into that bag anyway?" She inquired, after taking a longer draught and looking a little happier. "You seem to have everything you could want in there."

"It's a Bag of Holding. It can hold a lot more than just a few textbooks and some drinks. I mean, potentially, I could store a small car in there." Tsukune answered.

"I remember that you managed to get my bike in there." Moka had moved to his other side and was leaning over him, inspecting the rim of the bag. He was beginning to feel a little sandwiched now. "But the opening doesn't look big enough."

"It extends a fair bit, just so you can fit things slightly larger than the norm in."

He pulled the rim of the bag from both sides, opening it to a little more than a meter in width.

Kurumu poked her finger into the void within the bag curiously. "So who made this? It's the alchemists who make stuff like this, right?"

"Ha!" The sound of Torian's laughter was little more than a hiss to the two Youkai, but for Tsukune it sounded loud and clear. "You hear that? As if an alchemist could make something like this!"

Tsukune ignored the pseudodragon, focusing his attention on Kurumu.

"Well, no. Alchemist's don't normally make anything. It's a common misconception that they're the creators of magical items. In actual fact, they tend to be too specialised to allow for the creation of even the most basic magic items." He replied, scratching his head . He vaguely wondered what some of the old guard in the League would think of him divulging any knowledge of it to Youkai. He nearly smiled at the picture of the incoherent rage on their faces his mind had conjured. "This was probably made by a wizard. Or maybe a sorcerer specialised in dimensional magic."

Their faces were blank. It was Moka that spoke up.

"You're probably going to need to explain that a little, Tsukune. What's the difference? You're all mages, right?"

"Oh? Is it time for the exposition? Lovely," Torian drawled, curling into a sleeping position. "Wake me up when you're done."

Tsukune shot the lizard a glare, then turned back to Moka and Kurumu.

"Alright, I'll take it from the top," He sighed. "First things first, you know how Youjutsu works, right?"

Kurumu nodded.

"Sure. You focus Youki and… make it do things." She looked a little embarrassed at the simplicity of the answer.

"That's actually pretty much correct," Tsukune replied. Kurumu perked up. "All Youkai know a specific form of Youjutsu naturally, such as the succubi Charm or the vampire ability to increase their physical parameters. All Youkai also have some shape shifting ability. All of that is a form of Youjutsu."

He gestured at them as he continued.

"You naturally possess Youki within you. It's like a secondary life force, and your bodies both generate and feed off of it. That's why when you overuse your talents, you begin to feel tired and drained. You're essentially using your own energy to induce a change in the world around you. Which means that your body has less to feed on, so it demands a higher energy intake from alternative sources to make up the difference," He paused. "But mages are different."

"How so?" Moka spoke up.

"With the exception of alchemists, we don't have any magical energy directly within us. We draw it from the Vein, the source of all arcane power, through the use of the Divine Spark."

"And that would be…?"

He shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as ours really. It's a force that dwells within humans, but apart from granting the potential to channel magic, it doesn't seem to do much, and Youkai get on just fine without it," He shook his head with the frustration of the intensely curious denied an answer. "It's got quite a few names to it actually. The Light of Mankind, The Will, the Power Within… It's all very pretentious, considering we have no idea what it is, where it came from, or why only humans have it."

"Haven't any mages tried investigating it?" Kurumu asked "I mean, it sounds like the kinda thing you'd want to know about."

Tsukune once again shook his head.

"Countless mages have wasted their lives trying to get some bloody answers out of the thing. And to a one, they failed," He shrugged. "The Spark doesn't react to anything you throw at it. Hell, the things virtually undetectable. We went about fifteen hundred years before we were even aware of it's presence and he only things we know for sure after a further two millennia of hammering away at it is that only humans have it and that's it virtually impossible to affect it directly. In fact, there's only three ways to do so."

He held up three fingers to accentuate the point, lowering them one by one as he talked.

"Number one. You die. The Spark leaves you. Number two. You become a Youkai. The Spark is destroyed. Number three. You become an alchemist. The Spark is merged with whatever magic item you just sucked into your body and becomes completely unrecognisable."

"Wait, if the spark is needed to use magic, then how can alchemists use magic without it?" Moka asked, looking at him with an adorably inquisitive expression. "And what do you mean by 'merging'?"

"Wow, you catch on fast." Tsukune smiled. Moka blushed at the compliment and Tsukune continued. "Alchemists normally come from families of other alchemists. Once they reach a certain age, they undergo a rite that fuses them with a magical item. They gain a natural source of internal magic, but can only use it to create a very limited selection of spells, based on the item they merged with. Basically, they don't need the Spark anymore."

"Is the rite… painful?"

"Not as far as I'm aware. In fact, I've been told it's vaguely ticklish." Tsukune answered. "There aren't many alchemists left though. Most of the great families have been wiped out at one point or another."

"Really? By what?" Tsukune paused at that question. The answer was a little unpleasant.

"Well… by Youkai, actually. Mainly. I mean, there were feuds and wars and such as well. But mainly, it was Youkai."

There was an awkward silence for a moment. Tsukune coughed a few times, breaking it.

"Anyway, moving on. There's two other main types of mage. Wizards and sorcerers," Kurumu and Moka were listening avidly, perhaps somewhat to distract themselves from the previous topic. What was it and uncomfortable topics today? Things were bloody everywhere. "Wizards are pretty much bog standard humanity. In fact, that's exactly what they are. Almost every human on the planet is a potential wizard. No special tricks, no powers, nothing. And here's the thing about the Divine Spark. It allows us to use magic, but it doesn't connect us to the Vein, which means we can't actually gather the magic we need.. We're like cars with no fuel tank. The potentials there, but it means nothing without a little help. Which is where ritual circles come in."

He noticed that Torian was actually listening, and fought down a small smile. The pseudodragon knew all of this already, but was as naturally curious as his master. He wasn't going to miss the chance of hearing something he hadn't heard before.

"Basically, ritual circles allow us to access the Vein, which we use to form spell, that we can release at a later dat-"

Moka held up a hand, and Tsukune snorted in amusement.

"You can just talk over me if you want my attention, Moka. You don't have to wait for a break in my monologue." The vampire blushed, but opened her mouth anyway.

"Why do you create spells beforehand instead of simply storing the magical energy? Doesn't that limit your options at a later date?" Tsukune blinked at the question, then gave a low whistle.

"You really _do _catch on fast, don't you?" Moka gave a pleased smile at the praise. "You're right, but we don't have a choice. We _can't_ store the energy. It's like trying to hold onto water with an open hand. No matter how much care you take, its going to slip through your fingers. Making it into a spell gives it a structure, something we can actually hold onto and use for an actually reasonable period of time."

He gave a small scowl. While he was well aware of the flaws in his type of magic, it rankled a little to explain it to others. Like admitting

"Which, I suppose, brings us to sorcerers. The Blessed One's," He rolled his eyes at the description. "I should mention that the sorcerers were, until about 15 years ago, the undisputed hereditary leaders of the League. They'd been the effective overlords of all mages for the best part of three thousand years, and are responsible for almost all our major policy decisions. Like us joining the Hunters Association. I shouldn't need to explain anything about _them_ to you."

They nodded, and he continued.

"Basically, sorcerers are unique. Their Divine Spark, for lack of a better term, merged slightly with their flesh from before they were born. Basically, that's equivalent to constantly standing within a ritual circle. They can manipulate magic freely and spontaneously, with all the advantages that would suggest. But…" He brought up a cautionary finger. "There's a flaw in that power. The connection to the physical world through the flesh corrupts the Divine Spark in some ways. It becomes focused on a specific sphere of magic, like fire, dimension or time. They can use that type of magic with ease, and cast a huge number of spells from it before they hit their limit, but have great difficulty learning or using other forms of magic."

He stopped, taking a deep breath.

"And that's pretty much it really. Any questions?" It was a little anticlimatic to end on, but he really didn't feel like going into anymore depth.

It was Kurumu who spoke up.

"You mentioned a 'limit' in that last bit. What's that?"

"Ah," Tsukune hesitated. Most of what he'd told them wasn't exactly a secret. It wasn't common knowledge either, but it had never been hidden. The limit was a little more sensitive a topic. Again, it wasn't a secret, just something mages preferred to not let spread around. "Well, it's basically the maximum amount of magic a mage can use in a single day before the Spark just refuses to channel more. Sorcerer's tend to have the highest, followed by wizards. The limit of alchemists varies on the item they bonded with, but with the rare exception, generally isn't that high."

"I see…" Kurumu nodded. They was a brief silence, broken all too quickly by Torian.

"Oh. Are you done?" The dragon yawned, like he'd just awoken from a deep sleep. "And here I thought that we were going to waste the _entire_ day."

"Give me a break, Torian," Tsukune sighed. "They did ask."

"I suppose so," The dragon gave the sigh of the long suffering. "But I insist you don't give this speech every time you make a new friend. You'll spend half your lifetime explaining knowledge that they could find themselves if they extended the most meagre amount of effort."

Tsukune ignored that last comment, instead taking a sip of his long neglected ice tea.

* * *

After their brief break, they'd explored the remaining clubs. The recruiting frenzy from earlier had cooled slightly, allowing them to actually find something out about their possibilities without just being harassed to join.

It didn't help much. After almost two hours searching, they still hadn't managed to find anything that both caught their interest, and wasn't filled with rather creepy individuals with suspicious intent.

"Well, I guess today was a bust then," Tsukune sighed, sitting down. After finally, giving up, they'd returned to their homeroom to just relax for a bit. "I can't believe that there wasn't a single club that wasn't either dull or filled with molesters."

"Or that wasn't draining the new members dr,." Moka replied, a frown on her face. "Did you see what the new swim club members looked like? It was as if someone had pulled the life out of them."

"I knew that girl was up to something," Kurumu clicked her fingers triumphantly. "She was being far too clingy to what wasn't hers."

_I'm not yours either though, _Tsukune thought. He didn't say it though. He didn't have the heart.

"Really though, what surprises me most is that we actually had a cricket club. Who knew?" Moka continued. Tsukune winced guiltily. The Youkai had been all but lynched, and had been carried to the infirmary in a stretcher. He'd have to make it up to the poor bastard later.

The door opened, and they turned as Ms Nekonome walked into the room. She stopped when she saw them.

"Oh? What are you all doing here? Shouldn't you be at your new club?" She cocked her head curiously at them, her tail swishing. Tsukune wondered if she was even aware that her transformation was so flawed.

"Well…" Moka looked a little hesitant to explain, but Kurumu took up the slack.

"There wasn't really anywhere that we liked," She explained. "So we didn't actually join a club."

"That won't do," Nekonome frowned "It's important that you learn to live in human society and joining a club can really help with that."

_Well actually, I think learning how to perfect your transformations, hold a job and have some vague idea of manners would be more useful , _Tsukune thought, _but that's just me._

"Ah, I know!" Ms Nekonome seemed to have stumbled across a thought, and beamed at them. "You can join the newspaper club. I was worried that I'd have to close it down due to lack of members, but this solves everything."

Tsukune hesitated. He hadn't actually seen a stall for the newspaper club at the fair. He didn't even know what the club president was like. He could be an absolute pervert, worse than that guy who'd followed them around on his hands and knees earlier, trying to get a look under Moka's skirt. But, really, what were the odds of that?

* * *

The door swung open slowly, creaking all the way. Tsukune frowned. Every door in the school did that. Even his own room door, despite the fact he regularly oiled it. He'd almost suspected a passive charm that forced the hinge to rust overnight, but there was no way he wouldn't sense something like that. Which left only one conclusion. The Chairman had hired someone to do nothing more than go around spreading rust into the hinges of the school's doors. It was a ludicrous thought, one that he would have dismissed no more than a week ago. But that was before he'd spent that week at Youkai Academy. Ludicrousness was the natural state here.

Tsukune shook his head, dismissing the thought. Regardless of whether or not there was someone going around rusting the door hinges, he had to focus. First impressions were important. He stepped into the room. The first hing he noticed was the shape it was in. Wallpaper was tearing off, a fair number of the chairs were broken and graffiti was everywhere

There were fewer members than he expected. By which he meant, there were only two. Moka and Kurumu. Apparently, worrying about firt impressions had been a wasted effort. He made his way to them, and swung a table round, sitting opposite the two.

"So… No-one else?"

"As far as we know, no." Moka shook her head.

"Well, this is fine," Kurumu leaned back, stretching. As always, the motion showed of her body in the best way possible, something Tsukune was sure was intentional. "I don't really need anyone else here. Frankly, they'd just get in my way."

She flashed him a wide, and slightly predatory, smile.

The sound of the door opening (That bloody creak!), drew his attention. Ms Nekonome stood there, looking in on them. Behind her…

"Greetings, my ladies," The dark haired student swept into the room with surprising speed. "It is I, Ginei Morioka's, great pleasure to meet you!"

He knelt before Moka and Kurumu, proffering a rose.

Whatever reaction he'd been hoping for, it probably wasn't the one he got. The two girls just looked confused, a sentiment echoed by both Tsukune and Torian.

"Is he an idiot?" The pseudodragon hissed quietly into his ear. The question was obviously rhetorical. The answer seemed too obvious to actually bother to state., based on current evidence.

"Oh. And hello to you too, I suppose." Ginei spared Tsukune a single glance, before turning back to Moka. "Ah, your beauty is like the moon in the sky, pure and untainted. Clean and- Gurk!"

A stapler caught him head on, sending him crashing to the ground. Nekonome sighed, slipping back from her throwing stance into a more relaxed posture.

"I'll introduce you more properly, I think," She gestured at the now prone student. "This is Ginei Morioka, Club President."

"Is he… Is he always like that?" Moka asked, switching her gaze from Ginei to Nekonome.

The teacher gave a small, slightly forced laugh.

"Don't worry, it'll be fine."

* * *

A few moments later, once Ginei had dragged himself onto a seat, they began to introduce themselves.

"So that's Moka, Kurumu and Tsukune, right?" They nodded and he gave a grin. "In that case, let me welcome you to the newspaper club. It's a pleasure to meet you, especially such charming ladies as you two." He began sidling over towards them, only for a pair of scissors to embed themselves in his seat, dangerously close to his crotch.

"Oh Gin. What are you trying to do to your juniors?" There was a dangerous glint in Ms Nekonome's eyes. "It's almost like you don't care about this club that I watch over, and that's continued existence increases my pay."

"Well then," Gin hurriedly continued, moving his seat back into place . "Let's talk a little about what club activities involve."

He rose, writing 'Newspaper Club' on the blackboard.

"Basically, we publish the school newspaper. Now, that may sound easy, but this ain't exactly the safest place to go prying into others affairs."

Tsukune thought back on the last week. Despite doing nothing more than just _being_ here, he'd been hit by a bike, attacked by a monstrel, nearly been charmed by a succubi and even seen the school swim club actively recruiting food.

_You aren't kidding, are you? _He thought, watching the senior.

"So for the sake of reporting, you're likely going to be put in dangerous situations as a near constant thing," Gin continued. "In fact, I'd even encourage it. The hotter the news, the more interest. And nowhere's hotter than the centre of a battlefield!"

He flashed a vicious grin at that, but then seemed to calm down a little.

"That said, you can always count on your fellow club members to have your back, so you can relax and have fun too," He winked at Moka and Kurumu. "I, for one, will always be available to run to your aid."

Tsukune sighed. Apparently, Gin was just a horrendous flirt. That was fine, he supposed. His friend Peter from London had been the same way, though he'd at least been a little more subtle about it than this guy.

"For now though, let's just work on renovating this place a little." Gin gestured at the rather battered room. "It could do with some replacement furniture and a lick of paint, don't you think?"

"Oh… Well… If you're just going to be doing that, then I suppose I can head off…" Nekonome gave a brief smile, then darted out of the door. Apparently, her work ethic in regards to actual physical labour was a tad lacking.

With the supervising teacher gone, they set to work. Gin had delegated most of the lighter work to Moka and Kurumu, such as painting up the bits of the wall where the paint was peeling off, while passing most of the heavier duty labour onto himself and Tsukune. Torian had followed the example of Ms Nekonome, taking the chance to sleep.

Working together, they began moving the ruined pieces of furniture to the tip at the back of the school, to make room for the slightly more intact chairs and tables from the storeroom. It was fairly intensive work, and Tsukune took the first chance he had to magically strengthen himself. Manual labour had never really been something he'd done too often. It was a little embarrassing to admit it, but he'd actually been raised in a fairly privileged manner. There'd always been servants, both mundane and magical, to take care of most things that needed done, whether cooking or housework, and despite his mothers insistence that he learn basic life skills such as how to cook and clean, he'd generally tried to skip those lessons as much as possible.

_It's not really my fault though. I mean, if you give a young boy the option to choose between learning to fly and shoot lightning from his hands, or learning how to sew, what do you think he's going to pick? _He thought to himself, throwing a chair that had some managed to obtain cracks on every leg onto the pile.

"Hey, Tsukune." He turned. Gin was watching him curiously, eyes narrowed. "I've got a serious question."

"Alright. Shoot." The senior looked uncharacteristically grim, and Tsukune felt a slight panic. Had he enhanced his strength too far? His frame was quite slim, so if he was carrying around fairly heavy furniture with ease, then it would be natural for someone to take note.

"Well then, I'll be blunt," Gin's stare focused. "Which one of them are you going out with?"

Tsukune spluttered. That was his question? Apparently, their definition of 'serious' was a little different.

"Neither of them," he replied, once he calmed down. "They're both friends. Nothing more."

Gin's eyes opened incredulously.

"You're joking, right? They follow you around like kittens," He shook his head. "Even when we walk back into the room, they always look at you instead of my stupendously attractive figure!"

He fell to his knees in a show of despair.

"And Kurumu's all but attached to you at any given moment! And you don't even notice!" The senior rolled on the ground, gripping at his head in frustration. "Oh God! Why do you give such idiots in the affairs of love your blessing! He may not have my looks, charm or grace, but isn't this too much to compensate him with!"

Tsukune stared at the club president. He wasn't quite sure what to say. He felt a vague urge to walk away, and then purge this memory from his mind. At least then, he'd have some sort of respect for the senior left. And a slightly stronger urge to hit him. That last sentence had been a little insulting. He compromised.

"Ah, Gin? Are you… alright?" _In the head I mean, you nutjob._

"Ah," Gin seemed to wake up from whatever strange trance had gripped him. "Sorry about that. I get a little weird this time of the month."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm coming to expect things like this from you."

"Please don't say that." Gin raised a hand defensively. "Really, it's the moon. It's nearly full, so I'm feeling a little odd."

_The moon? _Tsukune thought curiously. Many forms of Youkai had environmental triggers that could induce various effects, both physical and mental. The moon, both indirectly and directly, affected quite a large number of Youkai. But there was a species that stood out above all others in that respect. "You're a werewolf?"

"That's right. My pack comes from somewhere in eastern Europe originally, but we migrated to Japan about fifty years ago," He explained. "Good guess by the way. Knowing I'm a werewolf."

The senior turned to face Tsukune at that narrowing his eyes. His stare was surprisingly intense, and Tsukune couldn't help but feel that he was being inspected. After a brief moment, the werewolf broke off his gaze and looked up into the air, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmmm. You carry yourself with some confidence, which suggests you know how to handle yourself but you don't seem to possess any real muscle, and you don't have any kind of stance." Tsukunestood silently as Gin continued talking. "More than that, your transformation is perfect, to the point where you smell human even to me. That means you have considerable control over your Youki. From those points, I'd guess you're a Warlock."

Tsukune was, to put it lightly, a little impressed. Gin had noticed all that in a quick glance? He wasn't right of course but given the information he had, it was an inspired guess.

"Well, yeah. You're right." Tsukune nodded. It was a good enough cover, he supposed. While there were a huge number of differences between a wizard and a Warlock, they weren't obviously noticeable to a casual observer. Frankly, looking back, he probably could have pretended to Saizou that he was a Warlock rather than altering his memories. The monstrel wouldn't have known the difference. "I'm a little impressed that you managed to get all that so quickly."

Gin shrugged.

"I used to get into a lot of fights, and if you weren't good at guessing how strong your opponent was, you got a beat down." A small smile crossed his face. "My instincts got good, and quickly."

"Why did you stop? Fighting, I mean." Tsukune asked. He was a little surprised. Gin certainly didn't seem like a fighter. He had none of that constant aggression that Tsukune had seen in those who lived by violence, and there weren't any scars on his face as far he could see.

"Well, I met someone really strong." The seniors face adopted an odd expression, and he looked… nostalgic. "I guess you could say that I got taught a few important lessons then."

"A girl, I'm guessing." Tsukune said. "I mean, I can't imagine you looking so happy thinking about a guy beating you."

"I am not happy!" Gin snapped. "And besides, even she said it was a close fight!"

"So it was a girl then?" Tsukune inquired, a small, triumphant grin crossing his face.

Gin sighed mournfully at his slip up. He rubbed his brow in frustration.

"Alright, yeah. It was a girl. Her name was Sun Otonashi." That strange expression crossed his visage again. "She was the previous president of the newspaper club and the strongest Youkai in the school during her time here."

"Oh?" Tsukune was impressed. Youkai didn't throw around titles like 'strongest' casually. If they called you that, then you'd earned their respect.

"Really. She could beat me without so much as raising her hand. And if she raised her voice, well…" Gin barked out a small laugh "You'd best believe that people paid attention."

Tsukune frowned thoughtfully at that. Werewolves were powerful Youkai. If there was something that could stop them without physical exertion, it would have to be either magic or Youjutsu. And the way he'd said that last sentence suggested there was more to her voice than just a stern tone. "A harpy," He murmured under his breath. "Or perhaps a Siren…"

"Bloody hell, Tsukune. Are you an encyclopaedia or something?" Tsukune started, shaken from his thoughts by Gin's question.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, are you an encyclopaedia? Guessing that she was a Siren from that much…" The werewolf shook his head in amazement. "Well, you're right. I used to say that she sung like an angel, and spoke like a sledgehammer."

"Sounds like she was important to you." Tsukune said.

"Sounds like you're asking something that's not really your business." Gin replied, a slight note of annoyance entering his voice. It looked like he'd touched on a sensitive topic.

Tsukune shrugged flippantly.

"I'm going to make a great journalist then, aren't I?"

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Gin snorted in amusement.

"You really know how to get people to lower their guard, huh?" Gin said. "I've known you for less than an hour, and I've already told you my life story. No way I'm ever letting you meet Sun."

"What?" Tsukune asked, a little confused. What did his meeting Sun have to do with anything?

"I thought that you were just a lucky little bastard, but it looks like you're one of those people who others just gather around." He sighed. "You already beat me to Moka and Kurumu, no way I'm letting you take Sun too!"

"I'm not aiming to get her to fall in love with me! But I suppose it'd be interesting to talk to her-"

"Sure, sure! And then she'd fall over and you'd catch her, and she'd stare up into your eyes and your faces would get closer and you'd kiss and then you'd get married and I would hate my life!" The werewolves voice broke drown into hysterics as he spoke.

"I think you're over thinking this a little…"

"Shut up! Don't wave your protagonist status in my face!"

"Yeah, I'm going to go back to the classroom now. Get some more chairs or something." Tsukune turned away. Apparently, the moon really had a bad effect on werewolves. Or maybe Gin was just an idiot. An idiot of such epic proportions that if a hundred thousand slaves were to drag the word 'IDIOT', carved out out of granite and ten thousand feet high, across the entirety of North America, it might capture just a fraction of the sheer pointlessness of some of his actions. The Iliad of idiots, in fact.

"I'll be there in a second." Gin said, picking himself up. "I just need to readjust this pile a little, it's looking sort of unsteady."

Tsukune sighed. He really hoped it was the moon. The idea of having to deal with this for the next two years as a constant thing just wasn't a pleasant one.

* * *

The sound of his footsteps rung clearly throughout the otherwise silent hallway and he moved through the dim light created by the gas lamps calmly. He would have preferred that the lights were a little stronger, as when his power was sealed, it just wasn't quite bright enough for him to see perfectly.

It was only a few minutes walk to his office though, and so it wasn't really worth worrying about. Still, he wished that the Chairman would get a better sense of style.

He opened the door and sighed. As usual, Kiria hadn't waited for him to get back before making himself at home.

"Hi there, Hokuto." The monstrel was stretched out on the sofa, picking away at a box of chocolates. "How'd it go?"

Hokuto sighed again, moving to his desk before replying.

"Saizou remembers Moka defeating him, after apparently unleashing her true power." Hokuto took a small pile of paperwork from his in-tray as he spoke, already preparing for the nightly slog through the forms. "Nothing else."

Kiria raised an eyebrow.

"Were you expecting anything else? I mean, Saizou's pretty much the perfect example of a dreg of a Youkai. Stupid, violent and possessing an ego that vastly surpasses his power. Modifying his memory must be like shooting fish in a barrel."

"I would have been very surprised if Saizou remembered anything, true." Hokuto responded, signing his name onto a request for funds. "Tsukune Aono comes from a an exceptional background. Suppressing the memories of a monstrel like Saizou, even through the use of a spell scroll, is well within his power. Even so, I won't leave anything to chance."

"I almost feel sorry for Saizou," Kiria shook his head in mock pity. "Poor guy. Getting two memory alterations within a week must give you quite the headache."

Hokuto ignored that, finishing off yet another form and moving it to the out-tray.

"Any further word about the executives decision?" He asked.

"They're still deliberating and Gyokuro appears content to have them do so. Though Akua is apparently pushing for a fight."

"Oh? Then we'll have to cut off communications with the outside shortly."

Kiria peered up at him.

"You think they'll fold?"

"You think they won't?" Hokuto countered, a small sneer crossing his face. "They don't have the nerve to oppose her."

"Well, that's true." The monstrel picked himself up off the sofa, stretching as he stood. "I suppose you'll want me to maintain surveillance?"

"For now. I may eventually take a more personal hand in this, but I'm interested in how capable he is. Leaving him to survive on his own is probably for the best right now."

"He seems to be doing fairly well so far." Kiria replied.

"Good. Let's hope it stays that way. I'd hate to have to get involved," Hokuto looked up at Kiria. "You may leave."

Kiria gave a nod, then opened the door and stepped through, his presence vanishing. Hokuto turned back to his in-tray. He had a lot to do.

-End chapter 3-


	5. Chapter 4: The Way Things Go

Disclaimer: Don't own it.

A/N: So I've got a few things to say for a bit. If you want to skip it and head onto the chapter, that's great. First of all, I've gotta apologise for the magic babble in the last chapter. I felt it was needed for two reasons. A: Because I wanted to set the ground rules for the basics of magic in this fic, and B: I wanted to make it absolutely clear that Tsukune is not going to become a super vampire wizard. I'll be explaining a few of the points in finer detail, but I'll try and avoid another info dump.

A few of the more observant of you will have noticed that the magic system (and indeed a fair few aspects of the setting) draws quite a lot from the writings of Jack Vance and more immediately, Dungeons and Dragons. To those who've noticed this, I give you a firm pat on the back. To those who haven't… I don't really blame you. It isn't that obvious.

* * *

Diplomatic Relations

The Way Things Go

Tsukune watched the phone with some hesitation. It wasn't that he was reluctant to talk to his parents again. He got on well with his family. His father has always been the very picture of stern stoicism, but had always made the importance of his family to him clear. And his mother… Well, suffice to say, Tsukune had never found someone capable of disliking Kasumi Aono.

No, the issue lay rather more in what he was going to tell them about the last two weeks.

He had a sneaking suspicion that mentioning his fight with Saizou and Kurumu's attempted brainwashing wouldn't exactly be what his father wanted to hear. The fact that Kurumu had also effectively proposed to him was probably not going to cheer him up either. So he'd just avoid those particular topics of conversation. Instead, he'd just focus on more mundane things. He'd made two new friends, the coursework was easy, he was eating fine, Torian was in good health, he'd joined a club…

He paused at that last one. While they'd mainly been working on renovating their clubroom, Gin had taken every chance he could to either peep or grope Kurumu and Moka, to the point that the basic reaction from either of them to him coming within five feet was to cover their breasts and hold down their skirts. An image of Gin, trying quite hard to get a panty shot of Kurumu and Moka sprang to mind. So maybe he should edit that piece of news a little as well.

In actual fact, he was lucky to get the phone call at all. With the lockdown the Chairman had enforced on incoming and outgoing messages, pretty much no-one had been able to contact their families. It was only due to his unique circumstances that the Chairman had created a tiny opening in the barrier for the call at all. He felt a slight surge of guilt at that. It was, after all, technically his fault that the restrictions were in place in the first place and it felt a little wrong that he was the one getting to call home.

He sighed, dismissing the musings from his mind. Right now, he had to focus. If nothing else, he had to at least convince his parents that everything was going well. A quick check of his watch confirmed the time as 5 PM, which meant it was early morning back in UK. His father had always been an early worker, so calling the office was probably the best bet. He dialled the number, and it had barely rung once when a crisp voice spoke over the line.

"Hello, this is Charleston Books. How may I help you?" He recognised the familiar clear, cultured voice of Thomas and smiled. More than anything, hearing real English, the language he was most familiar with, was strangely refreshing after a week of Japanese.

"I'm looking for a novel, 'The Journey of the Magi'. I'd been told that it was among your collection?" The words of the identification process slipped easily off of his tongue. While the Mage's League had once been an entirely secretive society, the ever shrinking world, combined the ever increasing freedom of information had forced compromise upon them. Now, to the world at large, the Mage's League was Charleston Books, an exclusive, worldwide club dedicated to acquiring rare and valuable tomes for the perusal of it's cliental. It did in fact do just that, and quite a few members of the club had no clue that they were nothing more than an elaborate smokescreen for the magical society.

In fact, a great many mages were often sent on 'reclamation missions', in which they'd been tasked to acquire certain artefacts or books. These had generally been of a magical nature, but occasionally, they'd simply been picking up an old, entirely non-magical text, that was to be put on display for the club as a whole.

"I'm sorry sir, but information on what texts we may or may not have is strictly members only. Could I ask you for your identification number?"

"Of course." This was the part that separated the mundane and the arcane. For those who would only ever see the book club, a number was given. For those who aware of the clubs true nature, an identification phrase was provided in addition to that. Each phrase was unique to each individual, which somewhat speeded the process up. "There is no one truth. Adapt to the world around you, or drown in your refusal to do so."

"Ah, Tsukune!" Thomas's voice sounded relieved. "Lord Aono had been very concerned as to your lack of communication. If you will pardon me but a second, I will buzz you through."

"Thanks, Thomas." Tsukune replied. It was a little odd to think of it, but the formal young man on the other side of the phone was actually considered one of the most dangerous mages in the League. Unlike most sorcerers, Thomas had been born from a random family with no connections to the League, as opposed to the carefully cultivated lineages of the old clans. His powers had first manifested at his own eighth birthday party, where the excitement had cause him to spontaneously start shooting lightning around. The fiasco that had followed had apparently been quite torturous, with both large amounts of healing and memory modification required, but Thomas had proven himself worth the effort, even to the most fervent naysayer's. His control over the elemental lightning was unrivalled by anyone, except perhaps Koji Aono. Most importantly, Thomas had been the closest thing he'd had had to an older brother when he was young, amusing a younger Tsukune and his friends by forming illusionary animals, then having them chase one another or teaching them how to perform any number of smaller tricks him themselves. In retrospect, it was obvious that the sorcerer had been there in the capacity of a guardian for the most part, protecting Tsukune and his friends from any potential threats.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a new, even more familiar voice speaking out from the phone.

"Tsukune. It's good to hear from you." His fathers voice was as reserved as ever, sounding practically grim.

"You too, dad." Tsukune responded, his tone far more open. While his father was a stickler for his own stoicism, he'd never particularly cared about how his families lack of formality with regards to speaking to each other. In fact, while the older wizard would never admit it, Tsukune suspected that his father liked the casual tone Tsukune and Kasumi used around him. "How's the home front?"

"To be expected. The Alsbran are alternately pushing for my execution or dismissal, and the other sorcerers quietly support them while the majority of the League are ignoring them, but sending me signs of uncertainty with regard to recent policy changes." Koji gave a small sigh, which was about a big a sign of exhaustion as his father would ever give. "I'm more concerned about you, though. Have there been any problems?"

_Well, I was attacked on my second day when I stopped one of my classmates from raping a friend, I was nearly turned into a slave by a succubus, who then proposed to me when I fought her off. The school is literally full of perverts and voyeurs, and the biggest of all of them is the president of the Newspaper club. Which I joined. Also, the food is kinda plain here._

"Nah, it's been great." He smiled on reflex, though he knew there was no feasible way his father could see him. Well actually, there were several ways his father could see him, but he doubted he was using any of them. The Chairman would not, after all, be happy with someone trying to scry through his painstakingly constructed barrier. "I've made some good friends actually, and yes," He cut his father off, knowing exactly what his fathers response to that statement would be. "They know who and what I am. They're trustworthy."

Well, that was mostly true. Gin wasn't aware that he was a mage, but then he wasn't sure he wanted to call Gin a friend. He wasn't even sure he wanted to be associated with the werewolf and his bizzare and perverted antics. Not that he had a choice any longer.

There was silence on the other end for a second, before Koji spoke up.

"Very well then. If you believe that they can be trusted, then I will in turn trust your judgement," The voice on the other end of the line. "But I would still- Ah. Kasu-"

There was the sound of a very brief scuffle, and then the ever cheerful sound of Kasumi Aono's voice.

"Oh, my darling baby boy! How are you doing? Are you eating right? Have you made any friends?"

Tsukune cringed, then moved the phone away from his ear for a second, gaining a respite from the barrage of questions. His mother still possessed the ability to horrifically embarrass him at a moments notice, it seemed. '_My darling baby boy_'? He hoped to God no-one not related to him ever heard that. In fact, he didn't really like his father hearing it either. For that matter, he could do without hearing it either.

"Tsukune? Are you alright? You've gone quiet." His mother's questions as to his general wellbeing halted for the moment, he returned to the conversation.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mum. Just trying to answer all of your questions at once." He joked. "I'm doing fine. The coursework's easy, and I've made some friends-"

"Girlfriends?" His mothers voice teased.

"What? No! Well," he hesitated, scratching his cheek. "I mean, they are girls, but-"

"More than one?" His mothers voice sounded despairing over the phone. "Oh my, what shall I do? My son is a beast, going through girls like daily bentos. How shall I ever be able to hold my head up in public with such a blight on the family name?"

"Yeah, Ok, Bye, mum. Nice talking with you."

"Ah! Ah, wait! I was just teasing." His mothers laughter was clearly audible over the phone. "I'm sure they're lovely girls, and that you've been nothing less than a perfect gentleman."

_Despite Kurumu's best efforts to tempt me from that path_, he thought wryly. The succubus understood that relationships were a difficult thing for him right now. Hell, a relationship with a Non-Human would be a challenging thing at any time for a member of League. She had just decided, with near boundless certainty, that destined love could conquer all such trials. And if destined love had to wait a couple of years before she could have a ring on her finger, that was fine. But she was trying her hardest to ensure that he'd be more than willing to put the ring on her finger when the time came.

"So tell me about them," His mother queried. "What are their names? What are they like?"

He sighed. His mother seemed to be unable to drop this point.

* * *

It had taken a little over a half hour to give them the (heavily-edited) rundown of recent events and his newfound companions. They had listened intently, and he got the feeling that they didn't quite buy the entire (heavily-edited) story of his peaceful, tranquil and calm time in Youkai Academy, but couldn't find any obvious flaws in it, so besides from having to reassure them several times that he was in perfect health they seemed to have let it go. At some point, it appeared that his father had put the phone on speaker, which had made the conversation flow much faster.

"So…." Kasumi paused. "No grandchildren for a while yet then?"

"No! No grandchildren! Just schoolwork and newspapers!" His mother had come back to this point with disturbing regularity. The most worrying part is that he wasn't entirely sure whether she was joking or not. She had given him some names which she liked for grandkids, which suggested that she'd put some thought into it, which was more than a little disconcerting. His mother was not allowed to interfere in his sex life. Not that he had one right now. Not that he was really planning for one in the near future either. Not that he didn't want one. Not that- He cut the train of thought short.

"Well, I think I should probably go now, unless there's something else you want to talk about?" He checked his watch again. He'd been on the phone for the best part of forty minutes, and the Chairman would probably be wanting to close that hole in the barrier sometime around now.

"I believe we've covered the important points," His father responded. "But I feel the need to remind you: Be careful. That school is…" There was a momentary hesitation in his voice, then he continued. "That school is dangerous. Youkai are not human, and expecting them to act the same as a human society would is a mistake. Just remember that."

Tsukune didn't respond. The message was clear, and unnecessary. Even in the short time he'd been in the school, the chaos bubbling beneath the façade of order in the school had become dreadfully apparent. Student's and teachers alike seemed to be simply left alone to do as they will, the Chairman content to watch. This was not a safe place by any measure and he'd underestimated it when he first came here, even telling Moka of his true identity within minutes of meeting her. While he was lucky to have made friends who were by and large good people, he had to remember that they were not representative of the entire species.

It felt odd, condemning beings he'd never met, for actions he'd never seen them perform, but he forced himself to be realistic. Kindness was an admirable trait. Naiveté, less so. If Youkai had been similar enough to humans on a societal level to work together, there would have been no need for a treaty, or for him to be here. It wasn't that he intended to lash out at everyone who came near, but slightly more caution that he'd exhibited thus far might be advisable.

His father said nothing else, seemingly content that he'd understood the message.

"Now remember. We love you Tsukune, and if you ever have any concerns, or feel the need to come home, don't hesitate to contact us." His mother finished up, and he could imagine the light smile that would be gracing her face, even across the phone. He could also imagine her concern. While she had hid it behind her affable teasing, she was no doubt all but tearing her nails off. She hadn't even liked it when he'd gone on the occasional reclamation mission, and had given him quite a lecture after one in Russia for 'reckless behaviour'.

"Yeah, thanks," he said. "Alright, I've got to go now. Love you both."

Their goodbyes chorused, and he ended the call after a moment. No doubt the Chairman had already closed the barrier back up, which meant he probably wouldn't get another call for a month or so. Manipulating such a huge barrier in such a subtle way would be quite a tiring endeavour.

"Sound like your parent's are healthy enough." Torian quipped, looking up from his place at the end of the bed, where'd he'd been lying silent for the length of the conversation.

Tsukune paused. The comment had been meant as humorous, but there was a strangely wistful note in the dragons voice.

"Yeah, they're doing fine." He agreed cautiously. A thought occurred to him. "It's been a while since you've seen your family hasn't it, Torian?"

The dragon gave a surprised look at the question, then snorted disdainfully.

"Hmph! I'm not a human, needing to be coddled by my mother every few days. I'm fine."

Tsukune gave a small frown at that. Despite the dragons claims, pseudodragons were remarkably social animals. They formed close family links, and apart from the rare dragon that became a familiar, rarely left the cavern networks under the deserts that they'd called their homes. He'd only met Torian by accident as a matter of fact, finding the dragon in a small, rural town in Egypt four years ago. He'd been caught by local hunters after leaving his home on a fit of curiosity, who'd intended to take him to Cairo, and from there sell the strange creature to the highest bidder. He and his father had rescued the dragon, who'd had a rather negative opinion of his being sold as either a glorified pet, or worse, a medical sample. While they'd taken him back to caverns, Torian still had a certain degree of wanderlust despite his ordeal and had asked to be taken on as Tsukune's familiar. As far as Tsukune knew, that was the last time the dragon had ever seen his family.

He frowned. School policy was that pupils weren't really supposed to leave the campus until their education was done, to ensure that monsters who hadn't really learned how to fit in with human society weren't placed into a situation they didn't know how to deal with. Which, given how socially unaware some of the pupils here were, might involve, say, grocery shopping.

Exceptions were made though, such as if the student was heading to an insular Youkai community, such as the Oni caves or the villages of the Yuki-Onna, so maybe he could persuade the Chairman to let him head home for the summer break, and from there he could head over to Egypt with minimum fuss…

"I know what you're thinking and you can stop it." Torian's growl pulled him from his thought's and he turned his gaze to the dragon. "You've got bigger concerns than me, so don't waste your time coming up with far-fetched ideas to allow me to visit my family."

Tsukune opened his mouth to argue, but Torian continued over him.

"Tell you what. After we've finished with this whole 'Let's be buddies' thing, we can head over to Egypt. Until then, concentrate on what _you_ have to deal with."

"Alright, if you're sure," Tsukune sighed. "But as soon as we're done, ok?"

The dragon didn't respond, but a very slight happiness slipped across the bond between them, and he smiled. Torian had been the best partner he could have hoped for. While the pseudodragon always spoke his mind (often in the sharpest way possible), he generally had good observations to make on most situations, and was unfailingly loyal and dedicated.

_Well then, time to unwind, I think. _He reached down into his bag, pulling out a book on the nature of Runes. Time to relax a little, then get some sleep.

* * *

"Alright, Lets see 'em," Gin said, grinning as he held out his hand.

Tsukune sighed at the seniors no doubt intended double entendre. After they'd finished renovating the room, Gin had insisted that they move right on to publishing the paper. Normally, that wouldn't have been a problem, but as if to taunt them, the last few days had been almost miraculously quite, with only a sparse few fights. Which had made finding any actually interesting articles a little challenging. Nevertheless they'd persevered, while Gin… hadn't done much of anything actually.

They handed them over and Gin scratched his chin thoughtfully as he read over it. His face kept it's neutral expression as he flicked through the pages, occasionally frowning, or making a small, amused smile.

"Not too bad for your first time on the job," He handed it back, leaning back into the chair. "I mean, it's lacking punch, but you've got the details down pat and all of you have pretty good grammar, which is a nice plus."

Tsukune was a little surprised at the critique. His article had been little more than a recap of the events since term kicked off, and his most interesting story had been the massacre that the swim club had perpetrated on anyone who'd joined during the Club Fair, which was old news at this point. Nothing exactly riveting. It seemed that whatever his flaws, when it came to the newspaper itself, the senior was actually fairly serious.

"It's not our fault that it's dull," Kurumu complained, seemingly not satisfied with the review. "Nothings happened since the fair."

"Yeah, I'm not blaming you," Gin dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "I'm just saying it's unfortunate that our very first issue for the year is gonna be so plain."

"Maybe we should delay it for a bit?" Moka suggested. "We could wait for some more interesting news, then release it then?"

Gin shook his head,

"Nah, if we did that, we'd just be bad journalists. Just because the news ain't interesting, doesn't mean we don't have to report it. Besides," The senior shrugged. "We've got a timetable to stick to. If we miss a week, Nekonome's gonna give me hell, regardless of the reason."

"Then how about throwing some kind of interesting fact in?" Tsukune asked, waving his hand in the air to emphasise his point. "You know, like investigating a school mystery or something along those lines?"

The werewolf seemed to consider the idea for a second, then shook his head again.

"There aren't really that many mysteries around. And the ones that there are," A suitably wolfish grin crossed his face. "Are best left untouched, even by the most intrepid reporters."

Given that the werewolf had began his orientation by telling them that they should be standing in the dead centre of battlefields, preferably with a notepad, Tsukune found himself intensely curious as to what these mysteries were if they were enough to put off the werewolf. Then again, he doubted that the usual kind of school mysteries would be enough to unnerve a Youkai anyway. A wall that was really made of skulls would just be considered good fashion sense, for instance. But he put the thought aside for now.

"I'd been hoping that I could persuade Nekonome to maybe hand over the results for the first years exam, but she said it would ruin the surprise if everyone could get them in the morning paper." Gin looked a little betrayed by the teachers refusal to help her club.

The test itself had been something of a surprise. Normally, schools tended to have exams towards the end the term. While Youkai Academy did have that, it also had a special test for newcomers, that in Ms Nekonome's words 'allowed the school to comprehensively judge your aptitude in various fields, including literacy, mathematics and scientific theory, so as to identify specific areas to improve on.' It hadn't been particularly hard, but if you listened to his schoolmates, it had been the single worst activity of their lives.

"Anyways," Gin continued "We've got to get this thing out for tomorrow, so if you've got any idea how we can spice it up, I'm all ears."

The silence was deafening. Gin sighed, but then gave a small smile.

"In that case, we'll just have to rely on the beauty of our stall attendants to make a good first impression." He winked. The rest of the room gave a collective exasperated groan.

* * *

As it turned out, Tsukune thought, watching Moka pass over yet another paper, a pretty face apparently _was_ enough to make a good impression. It seemed that just the appearance of Moka and Kurumu at the small stall had been more than enough to draw seemingly every male in the academy. A few of the girls had shown up too, though they seemed to prefer giving him a hungry look. He really should see about getting something to cover up his smell. Even Tamao, the captain of the swimming club who he'd both turned down and written an article about had turned up, giving him a mischievous wink and licking her lips as she pointed at the offending article.

On the other hand, Gin had apparently decided fairly early on that he wasn't needed and had delegated pretty much all the remaining duties to Tsukune, before vanishing into thin air. Which had left him to carry the table that comprised their stall back up to the clubroom.

"Are you sure you don't want some help, Tsukune?" Kurumu asked, watching him stacking the newspapers in his hands with concern. " I don't mind giving you a hand."

"Don't worry about it," Tsukune replied, hefting it carefully while dismissing the offer. He'd cast a strength spell on himself, which made the desk seem quite light in his hands. "I can handle it myself."

"Alright then. We'll just move these to the bin," Moka gestured to the few remaining small piles of newspapers. "And then come up to the clubroom, if you want to wait for us?"

"Sure. I'll see you in a bit then." He nodded, then turned away.

It was only a short walk back to the classroom, but given that he regularly had to twist the desk into and odd angle so as to allow it to fit through one doorframe or another, it took a fair bit longer than usual. At least Torian had agreed to get off his shoulder with only a minimum of grouching, which made it a little easier.

"Maybe I should have accepted their help…" He murmured, battering open the door that led onto the corridor of the club room. While the spell gave him sufficient strength to lift the desk without much effort, it didn't make the bloody thing any less cumbersome.

Finally, he lurched into the club room, and blinked in surprise. It was not as he'd expected, empty. A small girl with raven black hair was sitting at the back, looking like she was waiting for something. She'd looked up as he approached, and he couldn't help but notice the brief look of disappointment that crossed her face.

"Can I help you?" He asked, approaching her. Now that he actually looked at her, she seemed far too young to be at the academy. He wouldn't have put her at any older than twelve years of age. That said, her rather odd costume suggested she definitely had a place here.

She had apparently wanted to make sure that people knew she was a witch, and had gone the extra mile to make it obvious. A pointy black hat rested firmly on her head, it's length very nearly the size of her torso. Coupled with the long black cape she wore, it was very nearly the archetypical picture of a witch. Or it would be, if the girl herself wasn't both a little young, and about as physically intimidating as a lemming.

"Ah. Yes, you can actua-" The girl paused suddenly, cocking her head curiously before leaning in and squinting at him, as if trying to get a good look at something she'd caught out of the corner of her eye.

For a moment he was confused, then realisation struck him. She'd caught a glimpse of the strength spell he'd cast. As spellcasters, Witches had the ability to sense spells, both arcane and Youjutsu-based. While experienced users such as the Chairman, or Koji Aono could sense a spell being cast within quite a large radius, and pinpoint the location quite easily, even relative novices were capable of seeing spells that had a duration to them, unless the caster had bothered use additional energy to try and hide it. Which he realised with a growing horror, he hadn't.

He hurriedly cancelled the spell, allowing the remaining energy to go free. _And you were thinking about being more cautious less than two days ago_, he scolded himself.

The girls eyes narrowed, and she leaned in closer, now barely more than a few inches away from him.

"Sorry, is there a problem?" He asked innocently, stepping back to gain a little distance.

"Hmmm? Oh!" The girl replied, pulled from her thoughts by the sound of his voice. "Sorry, I thought I saw something odd on you."

She blushed slightly, and he suddenly found himself fighting an urge to grip her in a bear hug. She was adorable, in the way of small, fluffy animals.

"It's fine," He smiled, dismissing her apology casually. "What can I do for you?"

The witch blinked, as if she'd been distracted from her reason for being here, then hurriedly began speaking.

"I'm looking for Moka Akashiya. I'd heard that she was a member of this club?" The last sentence was phrased as a question and there was a note of desperate hope in it, as if the questioner couldn't quite believe the information, but desperately wanted to.

"Well, you heard right," Tsukune replied. "Moka joined up a few days ago, along with Kurumu and myself. She'll be back up here in a minute or two, if you want to wait."

"Could I?" She asked, her excitement obvious. The moment he'd confirmed that Moka was indeed a member of the club, her face had lit up.

"Sure. I take it you know Moka then?" He asked, forcing down a smile at her exuberant behaviour.

Oh no! I've never talked to her before, I've just been watching her from afar, like when she's in class, or eating lunch.." The little witch shook her head in concern. "When I lost track of her back at the club fair and couldn't find her after school since then, I got really worried."

He felt his face freeze in position. He was fairly sure that there a name for that kind of person, one that wasn't particularly complementary.

"Ah, but don't worry Tsukune, I'm not a stalker or anything! I'm just an admirer from afar." She continued quickly, apparently noticing the expression on his face.

_An admirer from afar who follows you wherever you go is the same thing as a stalker!, _he cried out mentally_. _But then he stopped, a horrid realisation coming across him. The tension he could feel from Torian, who'd reclaimed his place on his shoulder told him the dragon had caught it too.

"What did you just say?" he asked slowly, pronouncing each word carefully.

"I said that I'm an admirer of beauty from afar, not a-" He cut her off.

"Not that bit." He swallowed slightly, then continued. "How do you know my name?"

The silence was deafening. For a few seconds, no-one said anything, then the little witch spoke up quietly.

"Ah, well… Y'see…. I felt the need to ensure that Moka's companions were of a suitable degree of sophistication, so I looked into you a little. And took some notes."

He felt the world lurch under him slightly. If she'd been spying on him, had she caught him using magic? A witch, even a young one, would be able to tell that it wasn't Youki fuelling his spells. Had she even perhaps scryed on him? No. He dismissed the idea. There was no way that a girl of this age was capable of using Youjutsu to scry, and even if she was, he would have felt it. While he hadn't noticed the Chairman watching him during his fight with Saizou, he'd been distracted at the time. His ability to sense magic was actually better than most mages of his level, and he was confident in his ability to feel most spells and magic items. So at the very least, she hadn't used Youjutsu to spy on him.

And if she'd discovered he was a mage, surely she would have confronted him on it? If she was as obsessed with Moka as she seemed to be, a mage would be quite a threat, even for a vampire. No, he'd assume that she knew nothing for now, but remain cautious. And deal with the known problem. That is, The fact that she was a stalker.

"So you followed Moka around, took notes on her and her friends, and have now found your way into her clubroom?" He asked slowly, watching her carefully. She squirmed (adorably!) under his gaze.

"Well, yes. But I'm not a stalker! Besides, you're more mysterious than me!" She pointed at him accusingly, seemingly trying to overcome her nervousness with indignation. "Your looks are only a little better than average, you don't seem to have any kind of great power, I can't find your family registry and I bet your grades are just average too!" The little witch grinded her teeth slightly in frustration. "I don't know why Moka's hanging around with someone so… so plain!"

"Don't blame me for the fact that your stalking can't find anything out about me! And besides, you don't need a reason to be friends with someone." He felt a growing irritation at the young girl, intermixed with relief. It looked like she really had no idea who he was. Still her worldview was more than a little irritating. It reminded him of the sorcerers, back at the League who had only allowed their children to play and make friends with those they considered their 'equals' too. While Tsukune had been the son of the current head of the Mages League, and thus 'worthy', other children born outside the great families of the Blessed Ones hadn't been considered so fortunate. And as children do, the young sorcerers had followed their parents example, refusing to associate with those they considered lower than themselves. Like his other friends.

Even now, the unpleasant memories of two of his groups of companions simply refusing to associate with one another grated. There'd been exceptions of course, and he counted those who'd looked past the biases of their parents as some of his closest friends, even to this day. But by and large, prejudices had made the early years of a great many mages far more controlled and restrained than they should have been.

Their glares met, and they both crossed their arms almost simultaneously. For some reason, Tsukune felt a strange reluctance to be the first to break eye contact, like it would mean he'd lost or something.

"Oh good God," Torian exasperatedly sighed from his shoulder. "It's like I'm watching two children having a playground squabble. And only one of you has the excuse of actually being a child."

Privately, Tsukune agreed, but he wasn't going to admit that to the lizard. As it was, this was a matter of principle. The younger generation had to learn to respect their elders, and they could show that respect by being the first to avert their bloody eyes!

He was so caught up in defending the honour of sixteen year old mages of Japanese descent, but who'd been raised in the United Kingdom everywhere (a perhaps over narrow superlative, he admitted) , that he didn't hear the door opening. Nor, did he sense the presence of Kurumu rushing towards him until it was too late.

"We're back!" Kurumu cried out, tackling him around the waist with typical exuberance.

"Ghhrh?" Tsukune groaned in acknowledgment as he fell to the floor Kurumu on top of him, unable to vocalise anything more verbose due to the air being forced from his body. The succubus seemed to take this as permission to pull his head into her generous bosom, a feeling he had to admit wasn't exactly unpleasant.

"Oh, I missed you, Tsukune," She purred, all but rubbing herself against him.

"Mmph?" While he'd managed to reclaim enough air for survival, he found his mouth in a rather awkward position for any kind of actual speech.

"Kurumu! Get off him, he needs to breathe!" Tsukune felt a surprisingly strong hand tear him from the succubus grip, pulling him to his feet.

"Thank you, Moka." He took a deep breath, breathing in the sweet air he'd been so suddenly deprived of.

"Moka!" Kurumu, on the other hand appeared less than satisfied with the course events had taken. "Don't get in the way of our love!"

Moka opened her mouth in protest, but whatever she'd intended to say was cut off by the source of Tsukune's woes for the last five minutes making her move.

"Ah, Moka!" The little witch through herself forward, tackling the vampire with the force of well aimed bowling ball.

"Grhhrg?" Moka asked, desperately back-pedalling to stop herself from falling under the weight of the girl. Her efforts to do so were in vain, as she backed up against a desk, and collapsed on it's surface.

"Oh, Moka, I've been watching you since school started, but I didn't know what to say and I didn't know if you'd like me and…" A steady stream of words came from the witches mouth, her reservations apparently forgotten in the face of the object of her attentions.

"I-I'm sorry?" Moka asked confusedly, a little dazed by the collision. "Have we met?"

"We have now!"

Tsukune watched the display bemusedly. It appeared that whatever maturity and politeness the girl maintained around other collapsed around Moka. He vaguely wondered if he should help his friend out. On one hand, she seemed to be thoroughly confused, and in need of an explanation. On the other, he'd had about enough of the witch, especially after the staring- He stiffened.

"That didn't count!" He raised an accusing finger at the girl, his voice raised loud enough to temporarily distract her from Moka. "Kurumu tackled me! I didn't break eye contact by myself."

A small, yet smug grin plastered itself on her mouth and he felt his irritation beginning to grow, just from the look on her face.

"Aaaaaah," She drew out the sigh. "The sweet feeling of victory is only made better by the whines of the defeated in my ears."

"Oh, that it is it!," he snarled, stalking up to the witch, who by this point had disentangled herself somewhat from Moka. "If you're counting that as a victory, you'd best savour it." He leaned in. "From now on, you'll only ever see my dust."

"Is that a challenge?" She raised an eyebrow. " If so, then I, Yukari Sendo will accept it."

For a moment, their eyes narrowed at each other but rather than get into another match they broke their gazes off simultaneously, as if following a pre-arranged signal.

Silence reigned in the room once more, as those who weren't part of the exchange tried to figure out what was going on.

"Tell me, Tsukune. I don't suppose you know any way that to break the familiar contract without one of the contractors dying, do you?" Torian spoke up from the desk he'd settled on after escaping from Tsukune's falling body during the tackle. "I mean, I'm just curious. I'm not asking because I'm horribly embarrassed to be associated with you, after you take a staring match seriously enough to declare a rivalry with an eleven year old."

Tsukune ignored the dragon, mainly because he found himself agreeing with Torians assessment. It may have been a little bit of a childish thing to do.

-End Chapter 4-


	6. Chapter 5: Military Intervention

A/N: So I'm concerned that I might have made Yukari a little OOC in this chapter, but I'd like to try and defend myself. First, Yukari is a child. A very mature, intelligent child but still a child. She's immature and generally quick to respond, either with anger or compassion. Furthermore, she's a lonely child, which just makes the previous statement all the more true. That said, I'm open to your ideas on this. Anyway as always, enjoy.

* * *

Diplomatic Relations

Military Intervention

Yukari smiled as she watched Moka talking to her friends. The vampire was just so very beautiful, so very graceful in everything she did, it made watching even her most casual movements a pleasure. She sighed longingly. Moka was so… perfect. Beautiful, elegant and refined. Everything a young lady should be.

Even her choice of companions was mostly impeccable. While Kurumu lacked Moka's easy elegance, she was a fairly attractive and popular, Yukari grudgingly admitted, which made her a fitting addition to the vampires circle of friends.

Of course, the key word was _mostly_.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the fourth occupant of the room. Tsukune Aono was sat between Moka and Kurumu, seemingly content with listening in with their conversation, only occasionally interjecting. Yukari watched him carefully for a moment, then shook her head in dismay. For the life of her, she couldn't understand why Moka chose to spend her time with someone so very plain. His looks were no more than average and he wasn't from any great, powerful clan, at least as far as she could tell. The most interesting thing about him was his strange pet, that bizarre flying lizard. Plus, he was rude. And a bad loser.

And yet Moka had spend nearly all her free time from the first day of school onwards with him, relaxing, studying and even eating lunch together. As if that wasn't enough, he'd somehow also garnered the attentions of Kurumu, who'd all but attached herself to him, declaring him her Destined One, which was effectively a proposal.

"Yukari, you've gone awfully quiet?" She looked up to see Moka watching her with concern. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," She smiled up at Moka. She was so kind too. "Just thinking a little."

"I see," Moka nodded thoughtfully, then spoke up. "Out of interest, what club did you join, Yukari?"

"Oh…" Yukari fought down her excitement. Moka was interested in her! "I didn't really join one. None of them caught my interest,"

That was a lie of course. She'd been interested in a few of them, but the interest hadn't been returned. She felt a bubbling of a familiar anger at the memory. Witches and Warlocks were virtually identical to humans, barring one key point. They possessed Youki. By definition, that made them Youkai, a separate and independent race from humanity. They were the original creators of most forms of Youjutsu and the most magically skilled of all the numerous species of Youkai, positions that by all rights, demanded respect. Respect they were not given.

Other Youkai, either out of jealousy or an inability to separate Witches and humanity, shunned them. Or worse, actively preyed on them, as if they were nothing more than members of the common human herd. She'd hoped that things might be different at this school, but it had been in vain. The majority of the school was as ignorant as normal, even her own class watching with unconcealed distaste at best.

She dismissed them from her thoughts. They weren't worth thinking about. They were little more than animals, lashing out at anything and everything.

"Really? Then why don't you join the newspaper club?" Moka asked, drawing her from her dark thoughts. For a moment she said nothing, blinking in surprise. Moka had invited her? To join the newspaper club?

She fought down her excitement. That earlier loss of calm, where she'd tackled Moka had been deplorable. She had to be calm, refined…

"I'd love to!" It came as an excited squeal, and she froze, blushing bright red in embarrassment.

Moka laughed slightly, a gentle, kind sound and Yukari felt her face get even redder.

"Well, once Gin get's back, we'll see about getting you signed up, okay?" She smiled softly, and Yukari blushed for an entirely different reason.

She was so _perfect_!

Tsukune watched Yukari carefully for a second, then relaxed. Her delight at Moka's suggestion was obviously genuine, and seemed to have fully occupied the young girls thoughts. Her mood was infectious, and Moka was smiling happily at the young witches excitement, Even Kurumu seemed somewhat amused by it.

He wasn't quite so happy about it though. If she joined the club, she'd no doubt find ways to be in Moka's company as a nigh constant thing. Not a problem in and of itself, but it made using his magic a problem, as he'd likely be around Moka fairly often as well.. She'd nearly caught him today, and that had been only a relatively minor spell. What if he had to cast a more noticeable spell? Like a lightning bolt or a fireball? She'd be able to pick up on the fact that he was using arcane energy almost immediately and from that it was only the tiniest leap of logic to figure out his identity.

There were ways to conceal the true nature of his spell casting, of course. If he was willing to devote some of his capacity to it, he could render his spells all but undetectable to even the sharpest senses. Even the Chairman wouldn't be able to feel his spell casting. But that had a pretty steep cost, and the idea of having less than two thirds of his normal number of prepared spells didn't sit well. Besides, even if she couldn't sense the arcane energy, the fact that he'd cast a spell would be obvious and she wouldn't sense any Youki either, which would open a whole bunch of new questions which he didn't really want to answer.

_Maybe I'm overthinking this_, he thought, _I mean, it's quite possible that she'd be more accepting of who I am than most. _

While Witches were hardly friends with the Mage's League, there was a certain understanding and respect between them. Witches had pioneered Youjutsu in many ways after all, and if there was one thing any mage could respect, it was skill with magic. The fact that Witches were physically indistinguishable from humans helped too. But they were still Non-Humans, and that had always been a barrier between any co-operation.

_Had_ been. He stressed that even within his own mind. If there was going to be any kind of peace between Youkai and mages, it certainly wouldn't come about if people were still thinking about the past.

"What do you think, Tsukune?" His reverie was broken by the sound of Kurumu's voice next to his ear, and he looked up.

"Sorry? I was blanking out a little." He apologised, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"I was asking what you thought about Yukari joining," She nodded towards the witch, currently in conversation with Moka. "Won't it be a bit of a problem, with, y'know,…you?"

So it appeared that Kurumu had had much the same thought line as himself. He felt a little touched. While the succubus made her affections for him well known, it was a pleasant feeling to realise that she was also thinking about the situation he was in as well.

"Well…" He hesitated. While on one hand she was definitely right, he felt a certain reluctance to voice a complaint about Yukari joining. It would have felt like kicking a puppy. A slightly creepy stalker puppy, but a puppy nonetheless. Eventually, he just shrugged. "It'll be fine. I'll deal with it, one way or the other."

Kurumu gave him a doubtful look. While she loved her Destined One's kindness towards others, she couldn't help but feel that he took it a little too far sometimes.

"Hello all. How did you enjoy the first print of the year then? " The door opened, and Gin stepped through casually.

"Well, It was going fine," Tsukune grated, giving the werewolf a nasty look. The seniors abandonment of his post was still a sore point. "Until our club president bailed out halfway through."

"Meh. You guys did fine without me," Gin waved his hand dismissively at the complaint. "Besides, I had stuff to do."

"Like taking a nap? Or maybe installing some cameras in the changing rooms?" Tsukune asked, still fixing Gin with a glare.

"What? How did you-," Gin paused then gave an awkward cough. "I mean, no! Of course not! That would make me a bad person. Which I am not. Because that's terrible."

For a brief moment, silence reigned.

"Once we're done here, would you two mind going to the changing rooms?" Tsukune asked Moka and Kurumu calmly. "You might find something of interest there. Torian will help you look."

They nodded.

"Your lack of trust offends me," Gin said, indignation radiating from his body. He sighed resignedly and sat down at the head of the room, before pointing a finger at Yukari. "And who's this young lady?"

"Ah!" Moka stood, introducing the young witch. "This is Yukari Sendo. She wants to join the newspaper club."

"Really?" Gin blinked in surprise, looking at Yukari expressionlessly.

"Yes. I'd love to be a member, if you'd let me join." Her hands were clenched tightly on her lap. He was going to reject her. She knew it. They'd all rejected her and this would be no different.

Gins face was thoughtful as he looked at her and then up at the ceiling, as if deep in mental deliberation.

"Why not let her join?" She turned ,surprise evident on her face, to look at Tsukune, who was speaking up. "We could certainly use the help and if nothing else, she's probably better with a typewriter than most of the school."

"Hmmm?" The senior replied, leaving his thoughts. "Ah, no. I haven't got a problem with her joining, that's fine. I'm just wondering if I could drop of a notice of her membership with Ms Nekonome before the end of the day."

Yukari felt a strange excitement building up within her. Since she'd come to this school, she'd been an outcast. None of the students had wanted anything else to do with her and really, the feeling was mutual. But now, she wondered if this was how it felt to belong to something. It was… pleasant.

"Congratulations, Yukari!" Moka smiled beatifically next to her and she turned smiling back up at the older girl, her excitement showing on her face, despite her attempts to restrain it.

"Thank you so much, Moka! Is it ok if I call you Moka? Thank you!" Her speech was speeding up, as if she was trying to spout out everything on her mind at the same time.

Tsukune grinned at the sight. No matter how troublesome it might be, the girls presence would certainly make things livelier, that couldn't be doubted. Already an almost festival atmosphere was sweeping over the classroom. Even Torian had raised his head from his near perpetual slumber, which would spare him the trouble of waking the dragon up later on.

"Well, looks like we've got another of your species, Tsukune. Probably got the most magic users in the whole school now." Gin grinned, flashing his canines. "Wonder how we can use that to our advantage?"

Yukari turned round with remarkable speed, an incredulous look plastered across her face. "What?"

Gin gave her a surprised look.

"You mean you didn't know? Tsukune's a Warlock."

Yukari spun to face him and he sighed. There was that troublesome situation.

Now how to proceed? He really didn't feel like telling her the truth. For one thing, Gin was in the room, and he'd had a hard time pinning down the werewolf's personality. While he generally seemed like nothing more than a perverted slacker, he occasionally showed focus and drive that suggested hidden depths. _Very well hidden depths_, the thought of cameras in the girls changing rooms reminded him. Frankly, he didn't know how Gin would react, or whether he could be trusted to keep quiet, at least for a little longer.

So he'd play along for now.

"Hi?" He inquired of Yukari, matching her intense stare with an innocent look.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She snarled. He realised ,with some amusement, that she was throwing a temper tantrum. He shrugged.

"It didn't come up."

"What do you mean it didn't come up?" Her voice was nearly hysterical as she faced him and he frowned, previous amusement dwindling. She was far more upset than he'd expected, glaring at him like he'd betrayed her somehow. "Why didn't you tell me or something! It was obvious what I am!"

The most obvious (and truthful) answer was that it hadn't come to mind at the time, but it was doubtful that she'd appreciate so flippant an answer.

"Why does it matter? You know now, right?" He held up his hands to placate her, but she seemed barely aware.

"Earlier…" Her gaze focused back on him. "Earlier when you came in, you had a spell on you, didn't you? I thought I'd made a mistake, but you had a spell on you!"

"Well, yes. But it's no wonder you didn't really notice it," He said, trying to sooth her. "I'm really bad at Youjutsu, so my spells tend to be really quite weak-"

"So you're a failure as well? Well that's just perfect." Yukari's voice was bitter as she cut across him, and Tsukune stared incredulously at her. Gone was the arrogant, but energetic and cheerful young girl, who he'd argued with just ten minutes ago. She was livid, staring at him with resentment and something else that he couldn't place, but was incredibly familiar.

"Yukari! You can't call people that!" Moka scolded, moving in front of the witch.

"That's right! Who do you think you're calling a 'failure'?" Kurumu spoke up standing beside Tsukune defensively. "He's my Destined One!"

Yukari stared at the two of them, then backed away. Tears were forming in her eyes as she shook her head, as if denying something.

"Wait, hold up-" Tsukune stood up and Yukari turned, running out of the door. "Yukari!"

The room was frozen in a shocked tableau, Tsukune standing with his hand outstretched.

_Ah_, he thought, her expression still clear in his mind. _I thought it looked familiar_.

Envy always looked so pained.

* * *

Yukari sniffled in the bushes, tears already making their way down her cheeks. Stupid, stupid, stupid! She called herself a genius, but she'd just messed up worse than any fool. Why had she acted like that? Tsukune hadn't done anything wrong, he'd even supported her when she joining the club. He'd been a little mean to her earlier, but it had been in good sport like a friend teasing her. So why had she lashed out? Why had she ran? It didn't make any sense.

Except of course, it did. Most things do, once you thought about them.

Tsukune was a Warlock, from the same species as herself and likely, the only other within the entire school. By all rights they should be friends. But he was different from her.

While she had been alone, taking comfort in watching another from afar, Tsukune had surrounded himself with friends and companions. When he'd just been another student, she'd just accepted that he was more charismatic, more open, more _lucky_ than her. The fact that he was in the same situation as her, yet had made so many connections to others… It was like a slap in the face. A taunt, created specifically for her.

She rubbed her eyes, which were already turning red and puffy. It was so childish. She'd lashed out at him and through him, at Moka and Kurumu over some quasi-imagined slight. And after they'd just accepted her into the newspaper club as well, just to make the situation even more ridiculous!

No, she'd been childish and cruel. She'd called Tsukune a _failure. _How many times had similar words been levelled at her, decrying her for nothing more than being born as she was? What did it say of her, that at the slightest disappointment, she lashed out?

"They probably hate me now…" It came out as a whimper as she sniffled once again. An overwhelming sense of self-pity rose up within her and for a moment she felt the urge to simply wallow in it.

"Well hello there, little miss genius." She froze at the sound of that cruel, mocking tone. She rose her gaze up, only to see the face she least wanted to see. Her class representative stood there, a cold smile on his face. He was surrounded by a selection of his friends and lackeys, all of whom bore a similar reptilian smile as they watched her with hungry looks. "Something wrong?"

While she'd always been separated from the rest of the class, the class representative had gone out of his way to ensure that remained so. Her every success was dismissed, her every mistake expounded on and made into a mockery. He hated her and had made no secret of it. But right now, his gaze contained more than mere hate. He looked… hungry.

She moved to back away, but the tree she'd been leaning against blocked her path. To her sides a few of the students had formed a rough perimeter, cutting her off an escape. Panic began to cloud her already distraught mind, and she scrabbled for her wand. Too slowly though, as the class representative moved forward, wrenching the thin device from her hand with ease. She winced in pain, staring with eyes already stained with fresh tears at the older student. She wanted to scream or shout for help, but his cold eyes told her exactly what would happen if she tried either and fear paralysed her movements with a vicelike grip.

All around her, her erstwhile classmates were shedding their human shapes like an old skin, taking on their true forms. Their gazes didn't waver even as their forms shifted, surveying her with the hunger and patience of devoted predators. She tried to scream, raw panic overwhelming the primal fear but a reptilian hand seized her head, stifling her even as arm snaked around her torso, lifting her from the ground.

The Lizardman holding her hissed in amusement at her struggles, keeping her pinned firmly against it's chest.

"Come on. This place is a little too open for a meal." The class representative remarked to his friends, his tongue running along his large, jagged teeth. "Let's go somewhere a little quieter."

He turned, stalking off into the forest next to the school; his pack following after him. Yukari kicked and screamed to no avail, gripped tightly in the Lizardmans arms. Her eyes turned to the darkness of the forest, growing ever closer, and fear covered her mind like a blanket.

* * *

"What was that about?" Kurumu asked, staring at the door that the young witch had just run out off.

"I-I'm not sure." Moka said, concern written across her face. "I think we should go after her."

"Why?" Kurumu responded bluntly. "Whatever's wrong with her, she ran off because she _didn't_ want to be around us."

Frankly, she was more than a little peeved at Yukari. A Destined One was the focus of a succubus's life. Once they'd found that single, special person; selected for them by fate itself, and acquired their love (An easy task normally. Tsukune was proving quite resistant to the idea) the two were considered bound together. To insult a succubus's Destined One was worse than slandering the succubus directly.

"But still…" Moka hesitated, turning to Tsukune for support.

Tsukune was quiet for a moment, then nodded in assent. "Yeah, I think we should find her. She's probably just a little confused right now."

"If you say so…" Kurumu said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well if you do find her, tell her to get back so that I can get her signature on this damn thing before the days over," Gin said, waving a form at them. "I'd like to get it to Ms Nekonome as soon as possible."

Tsukune waved a hand in acknowledgement over his shoulder at the senior as he left the room, Moka and Kurumu behind him and Torian at his usual place on his shoulder.

* * *

Of course, saying that they would find her was one thing. Actually doing it was quite another. The Academy Campus was huge, comprising not only the buildings themselves, but a fair stretch of cliff side and quite a large forest. Searching blindly would take far too long and would almost certainly be fruitless anyway.

More than that, Tsukune didn't know what he'd say even when they did find her. He had a fairly good idea as to the cause of her outburst. She was jealous. She'd been lonely and depressed, watching Moka from afar and there he'd been, cheerfully talking to her. The fact that he was the same species as her, yet so much more… accepted must have stung like a slap to the face. He just wasn't sure what he could say to that to make her feel better.

Likewise, Moka's concern was easy enough to understand. Moka had told him about her time spent in the schools of the human world, and the sheer loneliness she had experienced from the distance her classmates had kept from her. She obviously saw a kindred soul in Yukari, and wanted to help her. It was an act of kindness that was quite typical of the vampire.

"This is pointless," Kurumu stated, landing back down beside them. He turned to face her, pulled from his thoughts. The succubus had taken to the air to get a birds-eye view of the grounds along with his familiar, but it didn't appear to have helped. "There's just too much ground to cover. There's no way we're going to find her before nightfall at this rate."

"She's right," Torian hissed, settling back on his shoulder. "We can fly, but there's too many places hidden from an overhead view. We could be right above her, and we'd still miss her if she happened to sitting under a tree."

"Tsukune, couldn't you use magic to track her?" Moka inquired, looking at him.

"Well, yeah. But she'd almost certainly feel it, unless she's really distracted." He replied, shaking his head. "And she'd know it was arcane magic, not Youjutsu, which would just be a whole new set of problems to deal with right now."

"And there's no way you can hide that?" Moka asked, biting her lip.

Tsukune hesitated at that. The scrying spell he had prepared was merely a basic one, and thus quite noticeable. Technically however, there was a way to create a new one here and now. Scripting, as the particular technique was known , was a method for a wizard to convert his spells into raw magical energy, and from there back into alternative spells, negating the inability to draw from the Vein without both a ritual circle and extreme focus. In theory, it was an incredibly powerful technique, giving wizards most of the advantages of sorcerer's without any of the disadvantages. In theory, that was.

In practice however, it was hugely wasteful. If a wizard was to convert a spell containing four units of magic back into raw power then without a circle to contain them, three would simply vanish into thin air before he could put them to use. Effectively, to construct a spell that required five units of magical energy, a wizard would have to break down twenty units worth of spells. Such a vast drawback had meant that few wizards even bothered to learn the already challenging technique.

The versatility of it had appealed to him however, and he'd put considerable effort into not only learning, but mastering it. Eventually, he'd achieved a slightly better ratio. Two wasted units for every one usable one. It had been a considered a remarkable achievement, especially for one so young, but he'd never been satisfied with it. It was still too wasteful for any kind of prolonged battle. Frankly, he hadn't even wanted to use it after his fight with Saizou, preferring a scroll instead.

_But this isn't a battle_, he reminded himself. _It's a search_.

"Actually, there is." He closed his eyes, focusing on the spells bound to him. "Give me a second. " He paused. "Oh. And you might want to step back a little. It's a little surprising when you see it for the first time."

The arcane power thrummed as he surveyed it. After a moments pause, he selected a few of his offensive spells, the release of which would create roughly enough energy.

Moka and Kurumu stepped back in startlement as a aura of emerald green light emanated from him, surrounding him like a drape of fine silk caught in a tempest. The arcane power seethed around him. Sitting on Tsukune's shoulder, Torian seemed utterly unperturbed by the forces surrounding him.

Tsukune incanted and the magic coalesced, the vivid light forming the precise patterns and glyphs of a spell. Even as it happened, he could feel the unused energy vanishing, returning to the Vein. Even as the spell neared completion, the drain continued and for a moment he feared that he was going to have to break down another spell to obtain enough energy. Scrying was fairly high level magic to begin with, and adding the trait of being unnoticeable to it took considerable power.

It turned out to be a needless concern. The spell completed itself just in time, the last few vestiges of magic dwindling into nothingness and the glow surrounding him fading away.

He relaxed taking a deep breath of air.

"Tsukune, are you ok?" Kurumu asked concernedly, stepping next him. "What was that light?"

"Unconstrained magical energy reacting to the environment," He responded. "And yeah, I'm fine. It's perfectly harmless."

"It was beautiful…" Moka admitted, a slightly awed look across her face. Kurumu nodded in agreement. Tsukune smiled at their reactions.

"I thought so too, back when I first saw it," He replied. "I still do, really. Familiarity never erases wonder. Not with magic."

A certain nostalgia rose within him at his own words. He'd spent most of his childhood studying magic. Oh he'd played with friends and toys the way all children did, but it had been magic that had consumed countless hours studying by dim light in the library into the early hours of the morning. He'd never regretted it, not once. Magic had been exciting, magic had been powerful, but more than that, magic had been _fun. _And it had been pleasant to find that the years hadn't dulled that.

"Well then," He said, traces of a smile still remaining. "Let's see what our errant witch it up to."

He began the incantation, only for Kurumu to interrupt.

"Hold on a second!"

They all turned to face the succubus, who seemed as if she'd come to a realisation all of a sudden.

"This spell lets you see where she is, right?" He nodded and she continued "What if she's in the bathroom?"

Tsukune paused at that. It was actually a good question. Scrying hadn't exactly been developed with the privacy of the one being viewed in mind. There certainly wasn't any kind of modesty filter that he could trigger.

Moka blushed at the idea. "Maybe you should cast the spell, and we'll look first."

"The scrying window is linked to me," He replied. "You two won't see anything aside from air."

"Then we'll have to find another method." Kurumu said firmly. "You're not allowed to look at other girls that way."

Tsukune held up a hand. "Whoa, wait up there. How are we going to find her then? You just said it yourself not five minutes ago: There's way too much ground to cover by any normal means. And what do you mean, 'other girls'?"

"Well, you can look at me like that anytime you want." Kurumu replied shyly, blushing.

"Kurumu!" Moka scolded.

Tsukune rubbed his brow. He had to take these girls aside one day, and explain what 'priorities' were.

"If I might offer an alternative and cut this discussion short," Torian hissed from his shoulder. "I can see the window as well, and my interest in the bodies of you mammals is nonexistent."

"Not a bad idea." He nodded. The familiar contract really was quite handy. "Alright, Torian's suggested that he can look for me. That OK with you two?"

"Fine with me."

"That should be fine."

"Right then," He turned away from them, his hands forming arcane patterns. "Grant me the sight of leagues. Show me Yukari Sendo."

He closed his eyes as he completed spell, relying on Torian to tell him what was to be seen. The dragons sudden intake of breath however, raised some worries.

"Tsukune," There was a note of concern in the dragons voice, unusual for the unflappable familiar. "You should see this."

He opened his eyes and looked into the window. Instantly, his blood ran cold. The scene before him was like something out of a horror film; A single lone girl, surrounded and trapped by monsters deep in a

"Looks like there's a half-dozen or so," Torian noted. "If we just rush in unprepared, we might be in a little troubl-"

"Release Contingency."

A barrier expanded, invisible glyphs creating a field of protection that encompassed his entire body. Torian snorted in amusement.

"I guess we're prepared then."

"Tsukune, what's happening?" Moka asked, staring at him. "What are you doing?"

"Yukari's in trouble." He replied, running through his spells. He had a prepared Teleport, but it was the standard spell, not the more powerful version he normally favoured. Which meant that there'd only be two of them going. He glanced to the dragon on his shoulder, who gave him a fanged grin in response. Suited him fine, no need to drag Moka and Kurumu into this. "I'll just be a minute. Head towards the forest and I'll meet you there.."

"Tsukune, wait!"

He ignored their calls, already half way through his spell casting.

* * *

Yukari shivered, both in fear and cold. Her cloak had caught on a tree when she was being dragged through the forest, but it hadn't slowed her captor down at all. He'd merely ripped it to shreds, leaving her feeling terribly exposed, both to the elements and the hungry gazes of the predators surrounding her. After a few minutes travel into the forest, they'd thrown her against a tree trunk. And then waited. Watching her.

It hadn't taken her long to realise their intent. This was both revenge and a cruel game to them. They wanted her to run, so that they could catch her. So that they could show her how useless the intelligence she'd boasted of was, how worthless she was. Despite her fear, she'd done her best to meet their eyes whenever possible. She'd already worked out the inevitable. She was going to die and they'd eat her corpse. Or maybe they'd start by eating her, and she'd expire halfway through. The thought filled her gut with dread and her mind with a numbing fear, but also a strange defiance. If nothing else, she wouldn't give them their chase. She wouldn't be a mouse, hunted through the trees.

A stirring among the lizardmen suggested that they'd realised she wasn't going to run and were far from happy at having their sport denied. A brief, violent discussion occurred, quickly ended by the largest of them, the class representative. They split, forming a semi-circle around her, while the class representative approached her.

Her stomach clenched and she felt tears welling up in her eyes as he got closer. Razor sharp teeth ground against each other and a thin strand of drool hung from his mouth. This wasn't fair! Eveything had gone wrong today! It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair! It wasn't-

The world split, then reformed as a new presence stepped through the gap.

Her head whipped around, senses ingrained in her since she was young pulling her eyes like a magnet. In the centre of the small clearing they were in, behind the class representative, a man had appeared.

Unfamiliar symbols spun in the air around him, glyphs that spoke of a power both familiar, yet so very different from what she wielded. She'd never seen it, never felt it before, but she knew what it was. Arcane magic.

Tsukune Aono stood amongst the invisible maelstrom, watching the scene before him with a closed, guarded expression. It only took a brief moment for the lizardmen to become aware of their 'guest'.

"Who the hell are you!" It was the class representative who roared, leaping away from the newcomer as he spoke. Tsukune ignored him, turning towards Yukari.

"You alright?" She stared at him, too dumbfounded to answer his question. A dozen thoughts ran through her head, clashing off of each other. He stared at he questioningly, and she collected herself enough to nod.

Tsukune relaxed, a relieved expression crossing his face.

"You!" The class representative watched the exchange with some worry, his eyes flicking between the two. "I said, who the fuck are you!"

Tsukune darted round, levelling his gaze at the offending monster. "Be still."

The Lizardman froze, his mouth wide open in a roar. The others skittered away from him, as if he was infected by some horrible disease. Anger and panic warred in their eyes.

"The rest of you…" Tsukune eyes travelled across the entire pack. "You have five seconds to lea-" He paused, looking back at Yukari, shivering on the ground, and his face hardened. "No. You know what? You don't."

His right hand rose into the air, and Yukari stared at the power gathering there. A sickly grey luminence leaked out from his clenched fist, one that spoke to her of cold, dry earth and a place where the land moved and had a life all of its own. He brought his hand down, slapping the open palm against the ground.

"Rise, child of Terra Mater! Heed the call of man!"

The earth trembled and then shattered. A vast figure, only vaguely humanoid by virtue of having the right limbs, rose from soil. It's surface was light orange, formed of clay or sandstone and stone rubbed across stone with every impossible, reality defying move it made. It stood in front of Yukari and Tsukune like some terrible guardian awakened from a long slumber.

"Well then," Tsukune said, his voice quiet."It's clobberin' time."

The earth elemental roared, it's empty throat somehow producing a sound like a landslide, then charged. The lizardmen scattered, retreating from the behemoth with as much speed as possible. One of them tried to fight, and a stone hand slapped him away, bones crunching as he skidded along the ground. He would live though, Tsukune knew. He'd ordered the elemental not to kill, and the creature would obey. Pain and injury however, the being would hand out in healthy measure.

A second Lizardman climbed a tree, leaping from the branches at the mound that served as the elementals head. A backhand caught him mid-flight, swatting him to the ground where he lay still. The remaining three ran, the sheer extent to which they were overmatched becoming painfully clear.

"No." Tsukune said, shaking his head slowly. For some reason, he felt terribly angry, yet terribly cold at the same time. There were always those like this. People cruel and vicious, who fed their own pride by playing with those weaker than themselves. There was no purpose to their actions, no overarching goal. Just pointless, shallow cruelty. But it seemed like in this Academy, they gathered thick as mayflies. "You don't get to run."

The green aura burst into existence as he broke apart a half-dozen minor spells. They reformed under his will, taking on the shape of the spell he desired. He focused on the fleeing Youkai, and slowly extended his hand. His hand clenched as if grasping something, and yanked.

The Lizardmen were pulled back, an invisible force dragging them towards him with incredible force. One of them was driven into a tree, cracking the wood by sheer force of impact. The other two slammed into his barrier, rebounding off of the invisible force to the ground.

He watched them try to drag themselves up, groaning and hissing. A wasted effort. The elementals huge hands slammed them back to the ground, pressing them deep into the damp earth. They struggled weakly and, ultimately, pointlessly. They fought against a being with a body of earth and stone. It would not weaken or tire like beings of flesh would. The lizardmen seemed unable to realise this, squirming desperately.

"Enough. Put them to sleep." The elemental siezed the two Youkai, lifting them high and throwing them hard to the ground once again. This time, they didn't try to stand up again. Which left only one. He waved a hand at the earth elemental dismissing it. The magic maintaining it's existence gone, the stone goliath crumbled, becoming no more than a pile of rocks.

The leader of the pack hadn't moved. Not that it was capable of doing so, at least not for a few hours when the spell would wear off. But it was aware of what had occurred and Tsukune could all but feel it's desperate, animal panic.

He stood in front of the Youkai and gave a strangely bitter smile. This was the second time he'd found himself in this position, standing in front of a held monster, wondering what judgement to pass.

"Perhaps you'd like to plead your case?" He asked the Youkai, staring straight into it's immobile eyes. "You may move."

The class representative lashed out, its claws deflecting harmlessly off of the barrier he'd erected. Tsukune's eyes narrowed. He swept his hand and the wind swept into the Lizardman, throwing it through the wood. The monster groaned on the floor as Tsukune approached it, and he regarded it's injuries. Not heavy enough. Not by a long shot.

"You will never do this again." He said, staring down at the prone creature. "When you return to school, you will be the model of politeness to Yukari. You will be nothing but friendly and helpful, and you will actively work to ensure that no-one repeats what you did here today. Are we clear?"

The fallen monster looked up at him, eyes dazed but with a hint of stubborness remaining. He gave a grin at that, then continued.

"That wasn't a request. That wasn't even a demand. That was what you are going to do. Or," He kneeled down by it's side. "I will kill your friends in front of you. Slowly. Then I'll do the same to you. Slower. And then, once all's said and done, I'll have a new pair of boots made from your face."

It was a bluff, but the Lizardman's eyes had lost any trace of defiance. It nodded desperately and Tsukune smiled, wide and friendly.

"Good! Off you go then, and take these things with you." He gestured at the rest of the pack, collapsed in various degrees of injury. "When we next meet, I expect that you'll have nothing but thanks for me."

The Lizardman stared at his smile, then nodded furiously, running to gather it's fallen comrades.

The pseudodragon on his shoulder gave a slow, hissing laugh at the sight. "Your father would be proud, Tsukune. "

Tsukune snorted. "Why? Because I bullied some lizards into doing what I say?"

"Bullied? I would say it more along the lines of terrorising them into it." The lizard replied. "It vaguely resembled how your father deals with the sorcerers. Only with a little more violence. "

"With Moka and Kurumu hanging around me, I'm going to have a reputation at this school anyway," He shrugged, walking back towards Yukari. "It might as well be one that carries a certain degree of respect and fear with it. Besides, now that people think I'm a warlock, I can be a little more free with my magic."

"As you've just aptly demonstrated." Torian deadpanned.

Their conversation cut off as he approached Yukari, who was staring at him. Her face was blank, but her eyes watched his every movement carefully, no doubt observing the arcane patterns of his barrier spell.

"Uh… Hi?" He suggested. He felt the urge to slap himself. _What kind of a thing to say was 'Hi'?_

Yukari looked at him for a few moments, then gave a small smile. "Well, you did say you weren't a very good warlock."

Tsukune smiled. "Yeah, It's really not my thing." He relaxed. Yukari had obviously worked out what he was, and was telling him that it didn't matter. He could almost feel a weight being lifted from his shoulders. He slipped off his jacket and offered it to her.

"Thank you." She gave him a grateful smile.

The sound of clapping suddenly broke through the clearing, and Tsukune twisted to face the source. A man was walking towards them, his hands slowly, rhythmically striking together. Long gold hair drooped down his back and a black coat covered most of his body. An amused smirk crossed his aristocratic face, which fit the air of arrogance the man projected.

"Oh, I don't know. I thought that was quite the display." The smirk grew only wider as he surveyed Tsukune. "You handled them quite well."

Tsukune stepped in front on Yukari protectively, meeting the eyes of the newcomer with a steady gaze. He didn't know who this man was, but the simple fact that he had been in the area, and hadn't done anything to help Yukari made him more than a little cautious.

"Do I know you?" He asked.

A dissatisfied frown crossed his face briefly, before it settled on a more neutral expression. "I suppose you wouldn't, being a first year. I am Kuyou, the head of Public Safety Commission, more commonly known," He sneered. "As the Student Police."

Tsukune felt Yukari tense behind him at that, which told him a fair bit about the Student Police's reputation. If that was the case, then it was probably best to act politely. He didn't need any enemies with a large powerbase.

"You are correct, I was not aware." He gave a brief bow. "It is an honour to meet you."

Kuyou watched him for a second, eyes narrowed, then gave a satisfied nod. "Good. It appears you understand the respect that the position is due. Something that the whole student body could stand to learn."

"If I might ask, were you aware of what these students were going to do?" He kept his tone level and polite, but was already running over a list of potential options. He highly doubted that Kuyou would have been able to keep his position if he wasn't far more powerful than the average Youkai. He'd already exhausted a number of spells in fighting the lizardmen, and had used up a fair few to power the scrying spell to find Yukari in the first place. A battle was not what he wanted right now.

"As a matter of fact, I was," Kuyou replied. Tsukune tensed, preparing to grab Yukari and Script a teleportation spell. "Had you not arrived when you did, I was intending to hand out punishment to these cretins myself. I was rather looking forward to it actually." A bloodthirsty smile crossed his face. "You let them off far too lightly."

Tsukune made a non-commital gesture, keeping his distaste off of his face. Looking back, he didn't feel ashamed or awkward about the brutality he'd displayed. The lizardmen had certainly deserved it and doing it had been necessary to ensure that Yukari would be safe in the future, he hadn't enjoyed it. It hadn't been a fight, so much as a needed course of action. Looking at Kuyou's face though, he got the feeling that the lizardmen had been lucky that he had arrived when he did.

"Make no mistake however, I was quite impressed by your skill at Youjutsu," Kuyou continued, apparently misinterpreting the reason for his silence. "In fact, I have an offer for you, one that is rarely given to first year students. If you would like to come to my office, we can discuss the details."

Tsukune hesitated. "That sounds interesting, but I'd like to take Yukari to the infirmary first."

"Very well," Kuyou nodded, sparing a single uninterested glance for the witch. "I have some work to do regardless, but I expect you to come as soon as you're done. I do not take well to waiting."

The older student left at that, striding towards the exit of the forest and Tsukune turned to Yukari.

"Can you walk?"

"Y-yeah." She grasped his outstretched hand, and he pulled her to her feet. "I can't believe Kuyou just let us off with that though."

Tsukune looked down at he curiously, as they began to follow the path the Head of the Student Police had taken. "Is he that bad?"

"He's a tyrant," Yukari replied. She covered her mouth when she realised she'd spoken so loudly, but the older student had vanished into the trees ahead, and couldn't have heard her. "I mean, that was the first time I've met him, but he has a really bad reputation. He turned to Student Police into his own tool, and uses them to ensure that no-one is speaking out against him."

"That bad, huh?" Tsukune said thoughtfully. He could believe it. Under the thin veil of politeness that he'd affected, there had been an almost palpable sense of violence and arrogance emanating from Kuyou. Overall, it hadn't been pleasant to be in his company, even for a short time.

They walked in silence for a time, till they finally broke out of the trees.

"Tsukune! Yukari!" The shouts of Moka and Kurumu drew their attention.

"Tsukune, what happened? You just vanished into thin air!" Kurumu exclaimed, running right up to him. "Do you know how worried we were?"

"That's right!" Moka agreed, crossing her arms and looking at him angrily. "We didn't know what you'd seen, or what was happening. We've been waiting here for ten minutes!" She turned her attention to Yukari, and gasped. "Yukari, what happened to you? You're covered in cuts!"

The two of them exchanged glances, then gave an amused chuckle.

"We'll explain on the way." He said. "Yukari could probably do with getting into something warmer than my jacket."

* * *

"So you knew what Tsukune was when you saw him arrive?" Moka asked while dabbing Yukari down with anti-septic. While Youkai were generally highly resistant to most diseases or infections, witches were essentially human in many ways, and care had to be taken. Her skin had been cut or scraped in several places by both claws and scratching branches so infection was a risk.

Yukari winced at the stinging but spoke up regardless. "That's right. Arcane magic is really different from Youjutsu, so once I got a good look, it was easy to tell what he was using."

"The same applies to me," Tsukune said. "I can detect and determine the nature of most Youjutsu spells. It's one of the first things that you learn as a practitioner of any kind of magic."

"But I have to admit I'm interested as to why you're here," Yukari continued. She paused, and then a look of panic crossed her face. "I mean, it's not that I don't trust you, you saved my life! I-It's just that I'm curious."

He shrugged. "It's not a problem. Just a bit of a long story."

He went explained his reasons for being here, going over it in fine detail. By the time he was done, Yukari had gone from looking interested to incredibly frustrated.

"I cant believe I couldn't place you by your name!" She exclaimed, grinding her dainty knuckles into her brow. "_Everyone_ knows your father! I should have been able to guess who you were from your family name alone!"

"It's not that uncommon a name," Tsukune replied. "Don't beat yourself up about it. I'm actually glad that you couldn't see the connection. It means that others won't either."

"I suppose…" Yukari agreed reluctantly. She was silent for a moment but then stood. "I still have to say something. I'm sorry for what I said, and for being so childish. It was my fault that you were dragged into this mess."

Tsukune blinked in surprise, then waved his hand dismissively. "It's not a problem. Really. If anything, I'm glad that you acted like you did, when you did. That attack probably would have happened anyway, and I might not have been there to help you when it did."

A deep blush had spread across Yukari's face as he spoke. She looked down, fidgeting and murmuring.

"Sorry?" Tsukune inquired, leaning in towards her.

"I said you looked really… impressive when you saved me." Yukari whispered, her face flushing even further. "But you're kind too, aren't you?"

She hesitated.

She looked at him directly in the eyes, a wide, beaming smile across her face. "I've fallen for you, Tsukune."

His mind went blank. This was… unexpected.

_Help?_

_I'm not even going to touch this mess, _his mind responded. _You want to keep attracting girls, you do that._

"But I haven't given up on Moka either!" Yukari continued, emphasising her point by slapping a clenched fist into her palm. "I'm going to make sure we all end up together."

"I don't think so!" Kurumu exclaimed, grabbing Tsukune's arm. "He's _my_ Destined One."

"W-w-w-wait? You mean… together? Like that? W-w-with you and Tsukune?" Moka had turned scarlet, a thin trail of what appeared to be steam emanating from her head, her shock at the idea obvious.

Yukari grabbed Tsukune's other arm and and Moka's as well. Tsukune had been alone, even more than she had. While she'd been crying about the contempt her race brought her, Tsukune had persevered, knowing full well that the revelation of his identity could draw outright aggression from much of the school. It was inspiring.

Tsukune sighed as chaos swallowed up the infirmary. As always, the company of his friends (now one greater) was exhausting. But also, he found himself admitting, fun.

* * *

Tsukune opened the wide black door with some caution. After a brief tussle over who he was apparently destined to be with, Tsukune had reminded them of his summons to meet the Head of the Public Safety Commission That had raised some concerns. Kurumu had even briefly tried to persuade him to come up with an excuse not to go. Apparently, the reputation of the group was a little less than stellar. He'd managed to persuade them that is was in his best interests to go anyway with the argument that Kuyou hadn't seemed like the kind of person that was exactly accepting of excuses. He'd left Torian behind as well, somthing the dragon had fought hard against. In the end though, the familair had grudgingly accepted that Kuyou would see him as no more than a pet, and that bringing a pet to a meeting was not good manners.

"You are the recruit Kuyou found?" He looked at the source of the voice. She was tall andquite beautiful, with a finely crafted face and rich, dark purple hair. Anywhere else, and he have have suspected it was dyed. Not in this place. Light eyes, their shade matching her hair examined him with a certain curiosity and she drew in a deep breath, as if scenting him. "You smell good. Like a human."

"Sorry, _what?" _He asked, stepping back from her nose. _Recruit?, _he thought, ideas running through his mind. Had his earlier display of power somehow caught Kuyou's attention enough that the Youkai had decided to recruit him? He rather hoped not, it would only be a whole new selection of problems. Rather more important for the present time, however, was the hungry look she was giving him.

"I said you smelt good, recruit." She leaned further towards him, taking another deep breath. "Tasty and succulent, like a well-bred human."

"Is that so?" He replied evasively. "Well, I'm sure you'll have all the time in the world to sniff me later. Where's Kuyou?"

The purple-haired beauty laughed at that. "Ha! At least you have balls! Even most of the Student Police would have pissed themselves if I'd suggested that I might like to eat them. No wonder Kuyou decided to pull you in. People with backbone always cause trouble when they're not standing beside us."

Tsukune raised an eyebrow at that. "You were testing me?"

"Partly. You really do smell delectable. Far better than most of the pathetic trash that call themselves students in this school." Keito walked towards another door at the back of the entrance room. "Follow me. He's been waiting a while."

He followed her out into a corridoor, only slightly brighter lit than the entrance room had been. "Now for you own sake, be respectful." Keito said quietly. "I like you, so I'd hate to have to clean up your corpse so soon." She gave him a vicious grin. "It'd be a terrible waste of someone like you."

"I'll keep that in mind." He deadpanned in response.

The reached a lage, ornate door at the end and Keito knocked. A familiar, cultured voice rang out.

"You may enter."

She opened the door and stepped through, gesturing for Tsukune to follow.

Kuyou was sitting at a desk, hands clasped together as he stared over them at the newcomers. The ever-present smirk on his face was clear as day, even in the weak light that broke through the window behind him.

"Sir, I have brought Tsukune Aono, as per your orders." Keito's casual voice was decidedly more reserved as she spoke, undertoned with a certain amount of fear. She bowed.

"Very well. You may leave." Keito bowed again, retreating from the room quickly.

"Good luck." She whispered, so quiet he could barely hear her, even with her mouth next to his close the door behind her carefully.

"Keito will have told you why I called you here?" Kuyou asked, though it was less a question and more a statement.

"In broad strokes, yes." He replied. "But I'd like to hear it from you, if possible."

The Youkai stood, his figure framed by the light coming in through the window. "Very well. I am offering you a place within the Public Safety Commission." He paused for effect, then continued. "This is an offer with little precedent, as we normally recruit from either Third Years, or Second Years who have shown remarkable dedication to what we uphold."

"Then why are you making it?" Tsukune asked, watching the older student curiously. The gears in his mind were turning, working out the benefits and disadvantages of the situation.

"My reasons are twofold. First of all, you showed both power and the will to use it when you punished those pieces of trash earlier. You'd be amazed how many Youkai there are that are powerful, yet have no drive to use their strength. You, on the other hand, saw an incident that threatened someone, and used your abilities to bring about a satisfactory conclusion."

"Secondly, you are a member of the Newspaper Club; a group with which we have had… friction with in the past." Kuyou continued. "To ensure that a repetition is not necessary, an observer is needed. Someone who would filter their works and actions, and make sure that they are not overstepping their bounds. As an already accepted member of the club, your assignment to this role would likely cause the least amount of resistance."

In other words, he'd be acting as a regulator, ensuring that the Newspaper Club didn't write anything that could be construed as opposing the Student Police. Not exactly the nicest of jobs.

Kuyou watched him for a second. "I see that you have already grasped what I am asking of you. Good. Intelligence is a trait far too rare in this place."

"I'm a little hesitant to reply without a little more information," Tsukune admitted. "What does the Pulic Safety Commission _do _exactly?"

"A pertinent question," The older student responded. "Despite whatever rumours you might have heard from the rabble, we are the upholders of this schools laws. . Those who complain do not do so because we are supposed tyrants, but because they are not. It is we who stand between beasts like you fought today, and the others of this school. Any actions we take are justified by that alone, no matter how harsh they may seem."

Tsukune had to admit that on one level, Kuyou had a point. This school had savage pupils, of that there was no doubt. But the stories that Moka, Yukari and Kurumu had told him alone put more than a little doubt on the argument that their actions were justified. Blackmail, extortion, violence and abuse seemed to be the watchwords of the Student Police as far as the rest of the schools populace was concerned. From what he could tell, they were little better than the monsters they were supposed to keep in line. He wasn't sure that he wanted to join a group like that, and he certainly didn't want to be forced into a position where he was supposed to be monitoring his friends.

On the other hand, as a member of the Student Police, those close to him would be protected from both rogue Youkai and other members of the Student Police by proxy, which would be a weight off of his shoulders. He could also try and minimise the cruelty of those he worked with, far more efficiently than he could if he were to be outside the group. And while he wasn't fond of the idea of monitoring the Newpaper Club, someone was going to be sent to do it anyway, and he doubted that they'd be as lenient as he would be.

Finally, he doubted that Kuyou would take his refusal well. It would be almost a personal insult to refuse him at this point, and the older student was far too proud to merely let that pass. Making an enemy of Kuyou's status in the school was something he really didn't want to do. All things considered, there was only one choice he could really make.

"In that case, I gladly except the offer." He said.

"Excellent," Kuyou sat back down. "Keito is assigned as your mentor, to help you 'learn the ropes', so to speak. If you have any questions, ask her."

The Youkai stared up at him, his ever present smirk still there.

"Welcome to the Public Safety Commission."

-End Chapter 5-


End file.
